Newton Abbot residents are being urged to check garden sheds, workshops and garages for old or unwanted pesticides as part of a project to make the town pesticide-free and a healthier place for future generations.

As part of the ‘Check the Shed’ initiative, householders can book a free collection of any weedkiller, insect repellent, slug pellets or similar products that they no longer use or need, so they can be safely collected and disposed of.

Check the Shed, which runs until the end of March, has been organised by community group Green Futures Newton Abbot, which is working with Newton Abbot Town Council and SUEZ Recycling and Recovery.

It follows a successful pesticide collection initiative in Bradley that took place just over a year ago, in which 167 unwanted pesticide containers, equating to 140kg of pesticide materials, were collected from households across Newton Abbot’s Bradley ward.

Many home and garden pesticide products sit on a shelf in a shed of garage for some time. In some cases, with older products, there is a risk of the containers beginning to decompose, allowing the toxic contents to leak out, warned Green Futures co-ordinator Andrew Rothery.

Green Futures hopes that by enabling residents to arrange the safe collection and disposal of these home and garden pesticide products, the risk of these toxic materials causing a hazard in the home or local environment will be reduced.

‘The more Newton Abbot people can get behind this initiative, the better,’ Andrew said. ‘The Town Council no longer uses pesticides and we want to help as many people as possible to go “pesticide-free”, so please also spread the word,’ he added. ‘Maybe you have neighbours or family friends who have been gardening for many years and could benefit from this service,’ he added.

Newton Abbot Town Council declared it would no longer use pesticide products to manage the areas of land it is responsible for in 2023.

Pesticide products like herbicides, insecticides and fungicides are increasingly being linked to a range of human health problems including cancer, Parkinson’s disease and respiratory conditions like asthma. Pesticides are also damaging for the complex web of life within the local environment. There is clear evidence that long-term pesticide use across the UK is partly responsible for the concerning decline in pollinating insects, which are needed for many types of food production.

‘When pesticides are used in the garden or home to eradicate unwanted plants, insects or diseases, they impact a much greater population of organisms that are important for the health of our wider ecosystem, and over time this is weakening the very system that we all rely on for food and many other resources,’ Andrew explained.

Bookings for the Green Futures free pesticide collection can be made via the Green Futures website at www.pesticidefreenewton.co.uk