Disposal of Pesticide Wastes in Apple Orchards in the South of Brazil and Its Compliance With Current Legislation

Larissa Morello,Lenita Agostinetto,Ana Emília Siegloch,Simone Vassem De Oliveira,Bruna Fernanda Da Silva,Kelly Scherer De Oliveira

doi:10.5539/jas.v11n10p140

Abstract

This research aimed to verify how the disposal of pesticide wastes occurs in apple orchards (Malus domestica) in the south of Brazil and to verify its compliance with current legislation. This was a quantitative, descriptive and prospective field study. The research was carried out with 82 farmers from two rural areas belonging to the municipality of S&atilde;o Joaquim, the largest Brazilian apple producer, located in the Serrano Plateau of the State of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. The farmers were interviewed at home and questioned about the disposal of empty pesticide containers. The results of this research showed that most farmers carry out the proper management of the empty pesticide containers and return them to the collection stations or centers (85.5%), the other 8.5% dispose empty containers inappropriately, keeping them in the open air or burning them. It should be noted that 20.7% of farmers store these containers in the open air until they are delivered to the collection stations without any protection and exposed to people and animals. In addition, it was observed that individuals without any level of education tend to store empty containers inadequately. Thus, despite the fact that Brazil is a world reference in terms of the proper disposal of empty pesticide containers, there are still cases of non-compliance with the current legislation in relation to these procedures, and there is a need for technical guidance to workers, especially those with lower levels of education, as well as greater rigor of the legislation of supervision by the competent body.

Highlights

In the early 1980s, the debate on the effects of uncontrolled use of pesticides on health and agricultural development grew worldwide
It is noted that farmers in many developing countries, such as Brazil, suffer significant damage to health and to the environment through excessive pesticide application, especially in cases in which there are no regulatory laws or lack of technical guidance to manage the wastes of these substances (Dasgupta, Meisner, Wheeler, & Jin, 2002). In view of this panorama, this research aimed to verify how the disposal of pesticide wastes occurs in apple orchards in the south of Brazil and to verify its compliance with current legislation
16 farmers were over 60 years old and only one individual was under the age of 20, evidencing the aging of the farmer and the presence of few young people in the field to continue the work, which could jeopardize the future of Brazilian family farming

Summary

Introduction

In the early 1980s, the debate on the effects of uncontrolled use of pesticides on health and agricultural development grew worldwide. International, national and governmental organizations have approved and implemented laws and rules to regulate the use of pesticides. The International Code of Conduct, developed by the United Nations (UN), was one of these legal provisions dealing with the Distribution and Use of Pesticides in 1985 (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations [FAO], 2002). On June 6, 2000, Law No 7,082/1989 was updated by Law No 9,974 through Decree 4.704/02, which regulates the transportation, storage and disposal of empty pesticide containers, making the farmer, the reseller and the manufacturer responsible for the final destination of empty containers and their wastes. In 2010, with the promulgation of the National Solid Waste Policy (PNRS, Law No 12,305/2010), the shared responsibility for waste disposal was created, making all users of the chain responsible for carrying out Reverse Logistics, including the pesticides in this system (Brasil Law No 12,305/2010)

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