Farmers, individuals, owners and operators of different establishments actively participated in the three-day amnesty program on Saipan, Rota and Tinian islands, said DEQ spokeswoman Reina Camacho in an interview with the Variety last Friday.
“We’re (DEQ) very happy that people actively participated, like farmers, individuals, business owners. While participating, their awareness were also raised that not everything is appropriate for storing or dumping, specially pesticides and other hazardous substances,” Camacho went on to say.
She adds though, “It’s hard to tell the total or exact volume of collected pesticides and hazardous substances because they were in containers and drums.”
Funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the pesticide amnesty disposal program was the first to be carried out in the CMNI, says Camacho.
She adds that aside from pesticides that are not complying with the law and other hazardous substances, used oil and car batteries were also turned over by participating farmers and business-owners during the amnesty program at different collecting stations on Saipan (July 16), Rota (July 17) and Tinian (July 18).
On Saipan, four farmers participated in Kagman and turned over their unwanted pesticides, while five business establishments and five hotels turned in hazardous substances.
On Rota, a resort turned in three drums of used oil and car batteries from auto shops.
On Tinian, at least three trips were done by a truck loaded with five large containers of “TCE” from a large business establishment.
Camacho says there is still much to be done, like educating people on the proper handling and disposal of hazardous substances as reflected during the three-day amnesty program in the Northern Mariana Islands.
She also lamented the misconception of reusing and recycling, like hard plastic and durable containers where pesticides and hazardous substances were contained.
“That’s not re-using or recycling but endangering themselves or their families,” Camacho explains.
Camacho says the collected unwanted pesticides and other hazardous substances have been brought either to Guam, California or Washington, or other areas to be decided by EPA for proper disposal.
