What is the Garden Chemicals Campaign Guide?

Why is it needed? 

• Garden chemicals can make up over 50% of chemicals returned to household waste recycling centres (HWRCs), especially during the gardening season.
• To date, 94 garden products have been withdrawn through the European Community Pesticides Review Programme, which means these products should no longer be stored or used. 
• Householders are often unsure of how or where to dispose of unwanted chemicals which has led to disposal via toilets, sinks and outside drains - see research links below.  
• Research carried out by  Resource Futures, the  Pesticides Action Network and the  Environment Agency shows that householders “hoard” garden chemicals for long periods of time in their garden sheds - some for as long as 30 years.
• Most councils will benefit from a planned and co-ordinated campaign to gear up collection and disposal services and public communications in advance of EC "active substance" withdrawal deadlines. This planned approach will reduce the potential for unexpected increased demands on chemical disposal services following national media coverage of withdrawals. A campaign will also raise awareness and help to prevent the public from "panic" disposal of old chemicals.        

Who is the garden chemicals campaign guide intended for?

All local authorities in England, Wales and Scotland* responsible for: 

• informing the public about the safe use, storage and disposal of chemicals   
• providing the public with services (home collection or drop-off) for the safe disposal of chemicals.    

*If you are a local authority in Northern Ireland and would like to use the campaign resources please e-mail the National Household Hazardous Waste Forum at enquiry@nhhwf.org.uk.

How should the Garden Chemicals Campaign Guide be used?

The guide is supported by a "Chemical Disposal Service Finder", which can be found at
www.chem-away.org.uk. This is a postcode search database which allows the public to locate their nearest chemical drop-off and/or home collection service by entering their postcode. They can also access contact details for other local service providers.

Chemical Disposal Service Finder

You can install a link to the Chemical Disposal Service Finder on your website. In order to do this you need to enter service and contact details into the Chemical Disposal Service Survey. These details can either be:  

• your HWRC details and/or collection service details
• or, if you do not provide these services, contacts for other local service providers or signposts to local collection companies.  

Once you have completed the survey and clicked "send” it will automatically update the Chemicals Disposal Service Finder database with your service details. You will then be e-mailed a link to install to your website. 

Once installed you can signpost the public to www.chem-away.org.uk through your normal communications channels. You may find the guide's campaign resources helpful.