Garden pesticides banned
Britain has come into line with EU law today by removing from sale almost 10% of garden pesticide products.
The majority of the 81 products are weed killers that were banned in an EU directive in August 2002. Households have until December to finish using the products and dispose of them safely.
However there is concern that local authorities, to whom the chemicals must be handed, are unequipped to dispose of them safely. If not dealt with properly they can cause serious environmental damage.
Research by the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) has shown that most local authorities are not licensed to dispose of these products, and those that are do not advertise the service.
Roslyn McKendry, spokeswoman for the group, explained: ‘The service is expensive and frankly they don’t want to encourage its use. Most people if questioned have no idea what to do with banned chemicals.’
In the UK Local Authorities are not legally required to provide separate facilities for collection or deposit of hazardous chemicals from households, and PAN is calling for new government legislation to ensure these banned products are properly disposed of to protect the environment.
