Storage, Transportation, Spills, and Disposal
Storage
Store pesticides in a locked, ventilated, dry structure away from food, feed, seed, and livestock, with an impervious floor and secondary containment or a curb for larger quantities. Keep products in their original labeled containers with lids closed; never store pesticide in a drink bottle or an unlabeled jug. Separate herbicides from insecticides and fungicides to prevent cross-contamination from spills and vapors, keep a current inventory, and keep SDSs on file. Check labels for freeze and temperature limits.
Transport
Inspect containers for leaks before loading, secure the load so it cannot shift, and never carry pesticides in the cab with food or passengers. Carry a spill kit, absorbent material, and SDSs. Placards and shipping papers depend on quantity, concentration, and packaging - a service vehicle with small packaged amounts is treated differently from a bulk tender.
Spills - the sequence
Protect people first: stop, warn others, move upwind, and put on PPE. Then stop the source if it is safe, contain the spread with soil, sand, or absorbent socks (never hose it into a drain), absorb and containerize, clean the surface, and dispose of material per the label and state rules. Report spills above the regulatory threshold to the Wyoming Department of Agriculture and other authorities, and always report anything reaching surface water.
Disposal
Triple rinse or pressure rinse empty containers, pour rinsate into the spray tank, and puncture or crush containers so they cannot be reused; route them to a container-recycling program. Buy only what you will use in a season, and use collection events for excess product rather than dumping.
Traps
- Rinsing containers into a floor drain.
- Believing an 'empty' container is safe to reuse.
- Assuming dilution is treatment for a spill.