Treated Seed Disposal

The best way to dispose of a small quantity of leftover seed that has been treated with a pesticide is to plant it in fallow or other non-cropped areas of the farm. Note that treated seed may be hazardous to wildlife and must be planted according to seed bag instructions.

Whether or not the seed is being planted as potential wildlife habitat, it is important to use the same practices and precautions that you would use when planting treated seed to produce a crop:

Use an agronomically acceptable seeding rate, using normal practices for that crop (for example, local planting dates and soil temperatures) as recommended by your county agricultural extension agent.
Plant treated seed at a depth greater than 1 inch. If the seed is broadcast on the soil surface, incorporate it immediately.
Immediately cover small quantities of treated seed that are spilled during loading, and in areas such as row ends, and plant seed away from bodies of water. Collect larger quantities of spilled seed.
Do not sow seed around the headland, in a field, or in a non-cropped area in any way that results in double sowing, exposed seed, and/or a greater chance of off-target movement of the pesticide. Do not use higher than normal seeding rates, even if no rotational crop is planned.

If treated seed no longer has acceptable germination, or has been damaged, possible options include 1) disposal in an approved municipal landfill, 2) use as a fuel source for power plants or cement kilns, 3) high temperature incineration by a waste management facility, or 4) fermentation in an alcohol-producing process at an ethanol plant (mash or distillers grains must not be used as feed.) See details under “Large Quantities” and contact the specific facility to determine if it can accept pesticide-treated seed.

Large Quantities of Pesticide-Treated Seed

For disposal of large quantities of leftover treated seed, contact the pesticide manufacturer if you need more information than what is provided below.

Consult first with your state and local authorities to ensure that you are in compliance with appropriate regulations. The National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC) provides contact information for state offices that regulate pesticides at http://npic.orst.edu/state1.htm.

There are a variety of industries that may be able to dispose of treated seed. However, a definitive answer on whether a municipal landfill, power plant, cement kiln, waste management facility, or ethanol plant will take pesticide-treated seed can only be obtained by contacting the specific facility.

1. Disposal in an Approved Municipal Landfill

Disposal in approved municipal landfills is permitted in some states. However, landfill disposal is costly and usually not practical for large volumes of treated seed; and permits may be required.

If disposal is the selected option, seed treated with pesticides may be handled as normal solid waste or as hazardous waste, depending on the active ingredient (http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/hazard/index.htm).

Seed treated with Syngenta active ingredients (abamectin, azoxystrobin, difenoconazole, fludioxonil, fluxofenin, mancozeb, mefenoxam, and thiamethoxam), and resultant seed dust, are not classified as hazardous wastes under 40 CFR.261 - Identification and Listing of Hazardous Waste. Note that states may have more stringent regulations. Seed treated with Syngenta active ingredients, and resultant seed dust, are subject to solid waste regulations at the state and local levels. Always check state and local regulations prior to disposing of treated seed or dust.

For transport purposes, seed treated with Syngenta active ingredients are classified as "Dirt, Grain, Seeds Contaminated with Pesticides/Non-DOT Regulated, Non-Hazardous Waste". This classification is applicable within the continental United States and is not applicable to international, ocean shipments.

If Syngenta seed treatment products are combined with other active ingredients, they may need to be classified differently. Check the status of each active ingredient regarding its waste classification status before committing to a disposal process.

The contacts for both solid and hazardous waste disposal in each state can be found at http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/wyl/stateprograms.htm.

2. Use as a Fuel Source for Power Plants or Cement Kilns

There are a variety of power plants that utilize alternative fuels. This list of power plants utilizing biomass, municipal solid waste, or non-fossil waste as an alternative fuel is extracted from the EPA National Electric Energy Data System (NEEDS) v3.02 ARRA, available at:

http://www.epa.gov/airmarkets/progsregs/epa-ipm/docs/NEEDSv302ARRA.xls

Cement kilns can be located at http://www.ckrc.org/index.shtml.

3. High Temperature Incineration by a Waste Management Facility

Contact the waste management facility to determine if it can accept treated seed. Note that this is likely to be an expensive option.

4. Fermentation in an Alcohol-Producing Process at an Ethanol Plant

Ethanol plants cannot use treated seeds in the fermentation process if they sell brewers mash as animal feed. However, some ethanol plants may use treated seed as an alternate power source.

A list of ethanol plants is provided by Ethanol Producer Magazine at http://www.ethanolproducer.com/plant-list.jsp.

What Not to Do with Pesticide-Treated Seed or By-Products

1. Composting

Composting is NEVER recommended for pesticide-treated seed.

2. Spreading and Incorporating into Soil

Spreading and incorporating (by disking, etc.) is NEVER recommended for large quantities of treated seed, even with proper incorporation (soil coverage). It is important to contact the pesticide manufacturer(s) to determine if spreading and incorporating may be possible under the specific set of circumstances (active ingredients, pesticide and seed rates, previous and future crops, etc.)

3. Land Application of Wastewater from Facilities Accepting Treated Seed

Land application of resultant wastewater is NEVER recommended. Minimize wastewater by process recycling and dispose of any remaining material as a non-hazardous waste, e.g. by solidification and disposal in a Subtitle D landfill (www.epa.gov/osw/nonhaz/municipal/landfill/criteria/landbig.pdf) or incinerator. Alternatively, there are systems for treating pesticide containing liquid wastes by flocculation/filtration to remove solids, which still have to be disposed of as a waste, followed by carbon treatment, which would allow the reuse of the water. Comply with all applicable environmental regulations.

4. Use of Mash or Distillers Grains as Feed

If treated seed is fermented in an alcohol-producing process, the mash or distillers grains should NEVER be used as feed.

5. Burning in a Wood or Corn Stove used in the Home or Shop for Heating or Cooking

NEVER burn pesticide-treated seed in a wood or corn stove used in the home or shop, for any purpose (heating, cooking, etc.) The hazards and risks from burning pesticide-treated seed in this way are unknown.

For More Information:

In 2000, the Seed Treatment and Environmental Committee of the International Seed Trade Federation prepared an informative paper outlining general guidelines and possible options for disposal of treated seeds in some countries. However, this document has not been updated.

For more information about treated seed disposal, contact the pesticide manufacturer.

Used with permission from the Syngenta Crop Protection Environmental Stewardship Web Site

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