Leftover weed killer needs the directions on its current label. Keep it in the original container and check whether you have unused product, mixed spray, or an empty package.
Never pour weed killer into a sink, toilet, sewer, street drain, or onto the ground. A local household hazardous waste program may accept what you cannot use.
Start With the Exact Product Label
“Weed killer” covers many herbicides, formulations, and container types. Disposal steps that fit one product can be wrong for another.
Find the “Storage and Disposal” section. Check both the product bottle and outer packaging, and use the label for that exact EPA registration and formulation.
The EPA-approved label can distinguish partly filled and empty containers. It may also state whether recycling is available or tell you to call a local solid-waste agency.
Partly Filled
Follow the label. If you cannot use it as directed, ask the local waste agency about a pesticide collection.
Mixed Spray
Keep it in the labeled sprayer and follow the label. Do not dump, dilute, or improvise a disposal use.
Empty Container
Follow the exact container directions. Do not rinse, puncture, burn, recycle, or reuse it unless the label permits that action.
Damaged or Leaking
Keep people and pets away. Call the product maker or local hazardous-material authority before moving or repackaging it.
Use Up Only What the Label Allows
The EPA advises mixing only what you need. A small excess may be applied only where, when, and at the rate the label allows.
Do not create an extra application merely to empty the bottle. Never exceed the rate, target an unlisted weed, or apply where runoff or drift is prohibited.
If lawful use is no longer possible, ask your local solid-waste, environmental, or health agency about household pesticide disposal.
Take Leftovers to a Local Collection When Accepted
Before driving, ask whether the program accepts your exact herbicide from households. Confirm quantity limits, appointment rules, container condition, and transport directions.
Keep the product in its original container with the label readable. Never store pesticides in food or beverage containers or mix them with other products.
If the original container is corroded, swollen, or leaking, do not pour it into another bottle. Ask the local authority or fire department for product-specific instructions.
How to Handle an Empty Container
Follow the label’s empty-container directions. A current household product may say to place it in trash or offer it for recycling if available.
Another product can have different directions. The original article’s universal triple-rinse rule was unsafe because many household labels do not authorize rinsing.
Never reuse an empty pesticide container. Residue can contaminate anything placed inside it.
Do not put the container into curbside recycling unless both its label and your local recycling program allow it.
What Not to Do
- Do not pour weed killer into indoor or outdoor drains.
- Do not burn or bury the product or its container.
- Do not mix it with another pesticide or household chemical.
- Do not invent a neutralizing or solidifying recipe.
- Do not follow farm-container instructions for a household product.
Farmers and businesses generally cannot use household hazardous waste programs. EPA notes that some states operate separate agricultural pesticide collections, often called Clean Sweep programs.
Spills and Possible Exposure
Keep people and pets away from a spill. Follow the product’s label and call the manufacturer or local response authority before attempting cleanup.
For suspected human exposure, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222. For a pet exposure, contact a veterinarian.
Call 911 for breathing trouble, collapse, seizure, or another immediate emergency. Keep the product label available for responders.