You may have a variety of products in your home, garage or garden shed that you use to control pests and deal with problems around the home and garden.
They may include
- Moss and weed killers for lawns and paths
- Treatments for removing algae from decking and patios
- Ant, cockroach, fly, wasp and aphid killers
- Slug pellets
- Mice and rat poisons
- Anti-mould and fungus paints
- Timber treatments
These products contain chemicals (or 'active ingredients') which if misused or disposed of incorrectly can damage the environment. For example, they can pollute water and kill wildlife.
Don't pour them down the sink
Pesticides have hazardous properties which need to be disposed of differently. If you have unused pesticide product you want to get rid of, don't pour it down the toilet, sink or drain because it may end up polluting a watercourse. This can happen even if your drain empties into a sewer, in which case it could also affect the treatment capabilities of the sewage works.
Don't put them in the bin
You must not put the unused product in your rubbish bin either. This may result in it being disposed of at a landfill site that is not licensed or properly set up to take hazardous waste.
Do find out more
Contact your local council for advice on how to deal with your unwanted pesticide products. Some councils have civic amenity sites where you can take your pesticide - it will be stored with other hazardous waste and disposed of properly. Other councils have collection services for homes. You can find out what your council's disposal arrangements for home and garden pesticides are, and how to contact them on the Pesticide Disposal website.
