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Committee backs creation of state pesticide disposal program with fee and exemptions
Summary
House Bill 11‑11 would create a Department of Agriculture enterprise to run pesticide disposal and container‑recycling events funded by a product registration fee and nominal disposal fees; committee adopted caps and rulemaking exemptions and advanced the bill to finance (10‑3).
The House Agriculture Committee voted 10‑3 to send House Bill 11‑11 to the Committee on Finance, approving a proposal that would create a state pesticide disposal program to provide periodic, low‑cost collection and recycling events for agricultural and commercial applicators.
Sponsors said the bill fills a long‑standing gap: commercial applicators and many farmers face very high private hazardous‑waste disposal costs and limited options for bulk or legacy pesticide products. Representative Brett McCormick described the program as an enterprise that will coordinate collection events, provide education, and facilitate recycling and safe disposal without the state owning or holding property.
The bill originally ties the program’s funding to pesticide product registrations; trade associations representing consumer packaged goods and household products urged clearer statutory guidance and exemptions so common consumer products that are not relevant to the high‑volume applicator waste stream would not be assessed the fee. In response, the committee adopted amendments that (1) cap an annual pesticide product registration fee at no more than $50 per eligible registered product (L006) and (2) direct the board and enterprise to adopt a rulemaking process and stakeholder review to exempt products not reasonably related to the disposal events (L004 as amended).
Applicator, conservation and recycling groups — including the Colorado Pest Control Association, EcoCycle and Department of Agriculture pesticide program staff — testified the program would make environmentally responsible disposal feasible and affordable and reduce the incentive to store or improperly dispose of legacy products. Industry trade groups asked for explicit statutory criteria to guide exemptions; department staff said rulemaking with stakeholder input is the chosen path to set eligibility and exemptions.
With the cap and rulemaking process adopted, the committee moved HB11‑11 to the Committee on Finance.
