ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) said over 143,500 pounds of pesticides and chemical waste was collected from the Capital Region at a CleanSweepNY event this year. These collection events safely remove chemical waste from the environment.

The event was held October 11 and included participants in Albany, Columbia, Delaware, Greene, Montgomery, Otsego, Rensselaer, Schenectady, and Schoharie counties.

“To advance New York’s ongoing efforts to protect public health and our environment, it’s critical to remove excess pesticides and other chemical wastes from our communities and landfills,” said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos.

DEC employees visited sites for the collection of chemicals unsafe to transport. DEC also helped with safe disposal for participants that had difficulty handling and transporting waste chemicals to collection locations.

Another CleanSweepNY event held on May 10 collected over 86,600 of chemical waste. This event included participants in Ulster, Sullivan, Orange, Rockland, Dutchess, Putnam, and Westchester counties.

“We are pleased that so many farmers, businesses, and institutions participated in CleanSweepNY events this year and that so many New Yorkers recognize the importance of safely removing potential hazards from the environment,” said Seggos.

Since the program began in 2002, the DEC has collected more two million pounds of chemical waste across New York. CleanSweepNY events are available to agricultural and non-agricultural professional pesticide applicators, schools, and certain businesses that use pesticides such as golf courses, cemeteries, and marinas.

Homeowners cannot participate, but information about reducing household hazardous waste is available on DEC’s website.