Beaufort County residents with old, expired, banned or unwanted pesticides will have the option to be rid of them safely on Feb. 26.

The Beaufort County Extension Office, in cooperation with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Pesticide Disposal Assistance Program, will offer a pesticide collection day, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Extension Office.

“North Carolina Department of Agriculture tries to do one of these every other year in every county,” said Rod Gurganus, Beaufort County Extension Director. “If you’ve got old pesticides that you need to get rid of, this is the time to do it.”

Gurganus pointed out that the collection is for pesticides only; fertilizers will not be accepted. However, if a fertilizer has pesticide in it — popular in lawn fertilizers — they will be able to take it.

“Anything that kills a weed, a disease or an insect on an animal or plant,” Gurganus said.

The program marks a statewide effort to prevent pesticides from being disposed of unsafely, and entering the state’s streams, rivers and soil. After collection, the disposed pesticides will be packed in safe containers for transport and will be burned.

“They have a special incinerator that takes care of it,” Gurganus said. “If you try to do anything else with it, it ends up in the soil.”

The program is free, and no information is required regarding the pesticides’ origins. Organizers ask that any pesticides be dropped off in their original containers, even if the original containers have no labels or might be damaged. Gurganus recommended placing any leaking or damaged containers in another container for safe transport and to prevent spillage on the way to the collection site.

“We want it in the original container. Sometimes the labels are old and worn out, but the shape of the container, sometimes we can tell what it is based on that. It’s important for (those collecting the pesticides) to know what they’re dealing with from a safety standpoint,” Gurganus said.

The collection is free to the public.

For pressurized pesticide gas cylinders or containers greater than 5 gallon in size, contact the Extension Office before the collection day for special instructions and information.

For more information, contact Rod Gurganus at 252-946-0111 or rod_gurganus@ncsu.edu.

The Beaufort County Extension Office is located at 155 Airport Road, Washington.