Iowa Ag Secretary Bill Northey is encouraging farmers to take advantage of a new program that recycles bulk plastic storage tanks. Northey says the tanks are generally used to transport herbicide from a dealer to the farm and range from 85 to 350 gallons, and are more efficient than using gallon or two-gallon jugs. Northey says the tanks are being replaced for a variety of reasons.
He says some of the tanks that were used are now not usable because of changing federal regulations that govern the types of stop valves that are required. Northey says there historically has not been a place to take those tanks. Northey says a company called TRI-rinse is handling the recycling.
Northey says there’s not a real count on how many tanks are out there, as they have been used for awhile, and there are some tanks that will become illegal under new regulations. He says there is a 15-dollar charge per tank for the program. You can find out more about the program through the ag department.
He says you can go on-line to the department’s website at: www.IowaAgriculture.gov, or call Mark in the office at 515-281-8506. He says you should call the company by July 15th so they know how many tanks there are to recycle. He says the company will make sure all the chemicals are cleaned out of the tanks and then they will be shredded to be recycled.