Storing and disposal of chemicals
Agricultural chemicals and veterinary products used on farms are safe when used, stored and disposed of correctly. Correct disposal will minimise contamination, environmental harm and risk to health and safety.
All product labels give disposal instructions. Read the labels and follow the advice.
Unused chemicals
Recycle unused chemicals
Pass the chemicals onto someone else who is eligible to buy and use the product. The product, container and label must still be:
- registered for use
- in good condition.
Dispose of unused chemicals
Take unused chemicals to a Green Industries SA chemical collection centre
Register unused chemicals for a ChemClear collection
Register your chemicals for collection with ChemClear.
Phone: 1800 008 182
Empty containers
Rinse chemical containers
Rinse all chemical containers before disposal. Follow the drumMuster standard for rinsing chemical containers.
Agvet chemical containers
Take empty agvet chemical containers to a drumMuster collection site.
Non agvet chemical containers
- Puncture or crush the containers.
- Dump the containers at your council rubbish tip.
- Never burn chemical containers.
Bury chemical containers
Bury chemical containers as a last resort only.
- Choose a site that will not allow seepage into watercourses or groundwater.
- Bury the containers under at least 50 cm of soil.
- Signpost the site as a contaminated area.
Dangerous goods safety
Store agricultural and veterinary chemicals classified as dangerous goods safely and securely. Dangerous goods can be toxic, corrosive or flammable.
Class 6 toxic and class 8 corrosive dangerous goods
Storage requirements for class 6 toxic and class 8 corrosive dangerous goods include:
- location
- segregation from other goods
- security
- weather protection
- ventilation
- containment of spillage
- chemical container management
- signage.
These requirements are good practice for storing of all agricultural and veterinary chemicals.
Location and segregation
- Isolated, stand-alone buildings are required for large quantities of flammable chemicals.
- Isolated, stand-alone buildings are preferable for large quantities of other dangerous chemicals.
- Partitioned sections of multipurpose buildings are acceptable so long as people or animals do not live there e.g. a farm shed.
- Steel cupboards within a multipurpose building are acceptable for small quantities of chemicals so long as people or animals do not live there e.g. garden shed.
Do not keep agricultural or veterinary chemicals in a house.
Do not store near food, feed packaging or medical supplies.
Security
- Keep all chemical containers in storage when they are not in use.
- Lock the chemical storage facility when no one is there.
- Secure storage facilities located in multi-purpose buildings separately to prevent unauthorised access.
Weather protection
- Chemicals must be protected from moisture, rain, direct sunlight and extreme temperatures.
- Ventilation
- Chemical storage facilities must have adequate ventilation to allow vapours to escape.
Contain spills or leaks
Contain spills or leaks of agricultural and veterinary chemicals within the storage facility. The facility should have:
- impervious floor resistant to chemical attack such as concrete with integrated perimeter bunding resistant to chemical attack
- impervious floor resistant to chemical attack, sloped to a collection area
- portable bunding resistant to chemical attack such as plastic trays.
EPA bunding and spill management guideline (PDF)
Chemical container management
Keep agricultural and veterinary chemicals in suitable containers to prevent accidental interaction or contamination. Keep the original containers with intact labels where possible.
Containers must be clearly marked or labelled with the:
- name of the product
- concentration of each active constituent
Food or drink containers must not be used to store agricultural and veterinary chemicals.
Warning signs
Where Class 6 and, or Class 8 Dangerous Goods are stored display:
- class label signs
- signs prohibiting fire, naked flame and smoking
- signs for other chemicals.
