Cygnet Pesticide Container Recycling Program
Cygnet Enterprises is Dedicated to the Environment.
In cooperation with the Michigan Department of Agriculture’s Pesticide
applicators recycling program Cygnet has recycled more then 30,000 lbs of used
Pesticide containers in the last 2 years alone!
Pesticide container recycling is very important, as well as in our opinion,
the right thing to do for the pesticide application industry. In addition to
helping to absorb the negative stigma that pesticide applications sometimes
have, it can save money as well as help the environment in the process. At
Cygnet Enterprises, Inc. we promote this by providing a local area in which
applicators can drop off herbicide containers. Cygnet Enterprises, Inc. stores
and when our truck is delivering, also picks up these containers. This saves
the applicator disposal fees, storage space, time and fuel for transport. The
containers must already be triple rinsed, labels and caps removed.
Cygnet has been promoting pesticide container recycling since 1994. Often
Cygnet is in the top 3 locations in the state for amount of ground recycled
product. In the last 2 years Cygnet has ground more then 30,000 lbs of
containers and has been steadily increasing the amount of containers recycled
each year. Increases can still be made however through the delivery of
acceptable containers. The less that are rejected allow us to recycle more and
keep them out of landfills. Unacceptable containers include:
- Dirty, or un-rinsed
containers
- Caps are not recyclable
- Labels should be removed if
possible
Of the approximately 25,000 containers Cygnet collected in 2008 only three
bags of approximately 70, 2.5 gallon containers were rejected. Collection
starts immediately after every pickup by Container Services Network (CSN), and
we will continue to collect and store containers until the next pickup by CSN. Containers
must be checked in upon delivery; this will help ensure we know how many
containers we have, that they are placed in the correct location, as well as to
ensure that they have been rinsed properly.
To keep things running smoothly Cygnet Enterprises, Inc. provides CSN the
contract collection company with help loading all bagged containers into a
tractor-trailer. There are 3-5 pickups of recyclables per year at Cygnet. The resulting weight of the product is
roughly the equivalent of 5-10 well equipped midsize sedans. That is an
enormous amount of plastic. Where would you rather see that go, into your local
landfill, or be made into a new pallet, computer, deck, or even your new car.
Recycling of this plastic is becoming even more essential, especially with
rising energy costs. Plastic is oil derived, it does not last forever. Oil
costs are rising, and recycling could eventually help to lower costs, but it
takes more people recycling to do it. As oil costs increase this will create an
increase in the costs to make new plastic, recycling could help offset that.
New plastic is used to make the containers themselves, the packaging for the
products that we depend on for our business. Through recycling containers and
promoting the use of recycled plastics, we can do our part in helping the
environment as well as keeping production costs down on the products we use
every day, but it will take everyone working together to achieve this goal.