Tobacco producers in the southern region of Rio Grande do Sul can now return empty pesticide containers used on their properties. Teams from the Empty Pesticide Container Collection Program began collecting the containers this week in Pelotas and Arroio do Padre. The containers must be triple-rinsed, punctured, and dry.
The traveling tour through southern Rio Grande do Sul will pass through 26 municipalities until March 30th: Pelotas, Arroio do Padre, Canguçu, Piratini, Cerrito, Morro Redondo, Rio Grande, Turuçu, São Lourenço do Sul, Cristal, Chuvisca, Sertão Santana, Dom Feliciano, São Jerônimo, Amaral Ferrador, Encruzilhada do Sul, Sentinela do Sul, Tapes, Cerro Grande do Sul, Camaquã, Mariana Pimentel, Guaíba, Barra do Ribeiro, Arroio dos Ratos, Barão do Triunfo and Butiá.
In total, there will be collection points in over 300 rural areas, making it easier for producers to comply with reverse logistics legislation, as they can return the containers to the point closest to their property. Upon delivery, producers receive receipts attesting to the correct disposal of the packaging to the regulatory bodies.
The tobacco sector's initiative has been running for over 25 years and is considered a success story due to its mobile collection model. Led by the Interstate Tobacco Industry Union (SindiTabaco) and its member companies, with support from the Brazilian Tobacco Growers Association (Afubra), the program's schedules are disseminated to producers via radio and through agricultural advisors from member companies, with pre-defined dates and times for collection in each location.
Existing since October 2000, the Packaging Collection Program predates the legislation on reverse logistics for agricultural product packaging, as the mandatory return was only established in January 2002, through article 53 of Decree No. 4.074. According to the program coordinator, Fernanda Viana Bender, currently, the routes cover approximately 1.800 collection points distributed across 385 municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, directly benefiting approximately 108 producers. In Paraná, similar initiatives, carried out by local collection centers, have the support of companies associated with SindiTabaco.
For recycling to be possible, rigid packaging must be delivered by producers clean, dry, punctured, and separated from its caps. Triple rinsing is essential for this. The procedure consists of completely emptying the contents three times, adding clean water, shaking, and pouring the liquid into the sprayer.
After collection, the packaging is sent to the receiving units of the National Institute for the Processing of Empty Packaging (InPEV), responsible for managing the Campo Limpo System, which carries out sorting and forwarding for recycling. Regarding their final destination, 100% of the rigid containers are transformed into new plastic products, especially inputs for civil construction and other packaging for chemical products. These containers represent almost all of the pesticide packaging used in tobacco production. Packaging unsuitable for recycling, such as flexible containers, is sent for controlled incineration.
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