Irapuato, Gto., April 7, 2016.- The Civil Association "Amocali" works in collaboration with Campus Irapuato-Salamanca from the University of Guanajuato (UG) so their students join the national program "Campo Limpio" (Clean Field), that makes the producers aware of the good use and handling of agrochemicals.

In the country, they generate larger than 5 thousand tons of agrochemical containers, from which 470 annual tons are for the state of Guanajuato, meaning, more than 8 million of liter-containers of the product that usually the producer burns or buries.

Currently the only collect a 20% of the containers that had contact with agrochemicals, as informed by Eng. Levi Emanuel Velázquez Rojas, regional coordinator of Clean Field for the zone in Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Michoacán and Queretaro, who gave the workshop-course "Normatividad applicable al manejo de los envases vacios de plaguicidas" (Applicable regulation to the handling of the empty containers of pesticides) to Agronomy professors and students.

In the workshop-course, the students learned the right practice to use the pesticides' containers. The common practice is for the farmer, after applying the substance, to burn the container or reuse it with health and environmental risks. Seeking to diminish this practice, the association installed temporary gathering centers who send the product to an authorized destination. The farmer can take the containers to specific containers or cages in businesses where they sell pesticides and in the warehouse in Juventino Rosas, where there is a primary gathering center for small containers.

There are three destinies for the containers, the first in the controlled incineration. Another is the co-processing with a cement factory in the country, and the third is recycling, when the farmer used a washing technique called "triple wash," they can elaborate a product but must not be in touch with food nor water. For example, they are used to make road signs, posts, driving hoses, etc.

"Clean Field" has been operating for five years with presence in all the states through regional coordinators and represents 70 companies dedicated to sell, formulation and elaboration of agrochemicals. The association works with farmers in their communities, with the industry, sale points, with city governments and began linking with the universities with related degrees to agriculture, as well as rural schools.

The answer has improved, last year they collected 120 tons of containers, but they seek to improve the participation and for that, they require more infrastructure and more capable people, considered the Eng. Velázquez Rojas.