Daniels County approves moving forward on pesticide-container grinding center MOU

Daniels County commissioners voted to move forward with a draft memorandum of understanding (MOU) to host an on-site pesticide-container grinding center that would accept and crush empty pesticide containers for recycling and disposal.

The proposal, discussed at the March meeting, centers on a permanent grinder the county would host on the east side of the county building property. Under the draft MOU, the Montana Department of Agriculture (MDA) would supply a grinder and a designated operator to run the unit, while county solid-waste staff would maintain the site, ensure power is provided and keep the area secured.

County staff told commissioners the MDA would provide project supervision and a designated operator, named in correspondence as Carly Davis of the MDA (stationed in Lester), who would visit about once a week to run the grinder. The draft agreement anticipates that the state partner would pay for site preparation and the grinder facility, then reimburse the county for initial outlays; county staff would contribute routine maintenance and oversight.

Officials said the grinder will be a local collection and processing point rather than a take-away-only collection: containers would be shredded or ground on-site before being transported. The draft MOU also describes operational limits and the seasonality of service; staff noted existing mobile pickup collections historically occurred only at certain weeks of the year and that the permanent device would expand access. County staff said collection and pickup frequency would be set in the agreement; one passage of the draft referenced a threshold-based pickup schedule (for example, pickup after four full collection bags), and staff described the grinder site operating seasonally and under advertised hours to prevent uncontrolled drop-offs.

Commissioners asked staff who would manage inspections of containers and how liquids or partially full containers would be handled. County staff said the grinder operator would assume some responsibility for acceptance screening, supplemented by county personnel familiar with current handling procedures. Staff described the Daniels County location as planned to be the second permanent grinder site in the state, following a pilot in Lake County.

At the end of the discussion one commissioner moved to proceed with the project under the terms summarized in the MOU; a second supported the motion and the board voted in favor. Commissioners directed county staff to circulate the draft MOU to the county attorney and finalize language outlining site prep, reimbursement and operational hours before returning the agreement for signature.

Next steps include formal review by county legal staff, specification of the grinder placement and utilities (a concrete slab and power), and execution of the written MOU with the MDA. The county also said it will prepare an operations plan spelling out hours, supervisor responsibilities and how the county will advertise hours and acceptable containers for residents and farmers.