(Left to right: Tribal representatives Mary Lou Soscia and Lindsay McClary, DEQ’s Cat Rhoades)
DEQ recently partnered with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and the Oregon Department of Agriculture to host a pesticide and household hazardous waste collection event. The events took place on April 11 and 12 in Grand Ronde. Both the Tribe and DEQ are recipients of EPA’s Columbia River Basin Restoration Funding Assistance Toxic Reduction Lead grants, which support environmental protection and restoration programs throughout the Columbia River Basin.
The pesticide collection event was open to commercial agricultural pesticide users in Polk and Yamhill Counties and on the Grand Ronde Reservation. The event provided an opportunity for users to safely dispose of old, unused, or unwanted pesticide waste, including clean containers, free of charge. David Gruen, DEQ’s Columbia River Basin Coordinator, and Ellen Woods, the Grant Coordinator, assisted with event planning, coordination, participant outreach, and staffing the event. ODA also partnered with DEQ to cover disposal costs for a portion of pesticides collected.
The household hazardous waste collection event was the first event of its kind hosted in the Grand Ronde community. DEQ worked closely with Tribal representatives Lindsay McClary and Mary Lou Soscia to position them for success. Cat Rhoades, Materials Management Regional Specialist, provided technical assistance through event planning, coordination, and staffing the event, all together ensuring that the Tribe had a successful first event. The Tribe hopes to hold similar events in the following years, further eliminating and reducing pollution from household hazardous waste.
Special thanks are due to Pete Pasterz, Hazardous Materials Management Coordinator, for his guidance on successful collection events and navigating agreements with the State’s contracted waste hauler, ACTenviro. Photos are courtesy of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde.
DEQ was selected for our five-year Toxic Reduction Lead grant in January 2024. EPA awarded the agency and its partners over $6 million to prevent, reduce, and clean up toxics throughout Oregon’s portion of the Columbia River Basin.
By Ellen Woods, DEQ Community and Program Assistance, Program Analyst