---
title: "Where do Pesticides, weedkiller and insecticide go? Hazardous "
description: "Hazardous waste collection, in the original container with the label intact. Why that route, what goes wrong on the wrong one, and how to prepare it."
url: https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/pesticides/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Where do Pesticides, weedkiller and insecticide go?

**Where do Pesticides, weedkiller and insecticide go?: Hazardous waste collection, in the original container with the label intact.**

Hazardous waste collection

Garden and household pesticides are designed to be biologically active at low concentrations, which is exactly why they must not reach a drain, a soakaway or a watercourse. The label is the disposal instruction and the identification a hazardous waste site needs, so it stays on. Do not decant into a drinks bottle at any stage — that is how children are poisoned. Small volumes of dilute working solution can often be used up on the target as directed, which is genuinely the best route, but the concentrate never goes down a sink. Where and when your area collects household hazardous waste is a local matter and worth finding out before it becomes urgent.

## How to prepare it

1. Use up dilute solution on the labelled target rather than storing or dumping it.
2. Keep the original container and label.
3. Take it to a household hazardous waste collection or a site that says it accepts chemicals.

## What not to do

- Never pour pesticide down a drain, a toilet or onto the ground — it moves straight into groundwater.
- Never decant into an unlabelled bottle.
- Never rinse a sprayer into a gully.

> Kerbside collection rules genuinely vary by council and county, and local rules always win over general guidance. The reasoning above is what transfers — if your service differs, it will usually be for a reason described here.

## Other things that go to hazardous waste collection

- [Paint thinner, white spirit and turpentine](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/paint-thinner/) — Hazardous waste collection. Flammable, and lethal to a septic tank or a river.
- [Asbestos](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/asbestos/) — Do not break it, do not drill it, do not sweep it. It needs a licensed route, and most household waste centres take it only by prior arrangement.
- [Old petrol and diesel](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/petrol/) — Hazardous waste collection. Stale fuel is still fully flammable.
- [Bleach, drain cleaner and household chemicals](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/household-cleaners/) — Use them up as directed if you can. Anything left over goes to hazardous waste, in its own container.
- [Mercury thermometers and thermostats](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/mercury-thermometers/) — Hazardous waste. Never in a bin, and never vacuum a spill.
- [Antifreeze and screenwash](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/antifreeze/) — Hazardous waste. Ethylene glycol tastes sweet and kills cats, dogs and children.
- [Fertiliser, lawn feed and pool chemicals](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/garden-chemicals/) — Hazardous waste. Oxidisers and concentrated fertiliser are reactive, not just polluting.

## Common questions

### Where do Pesticides, weedkiller and insecticide go?

Hazardous waste collection, in the original container with the label intact.

### What happens if you put Pesticides, weedkiller and insecticide in the wrong bin?

Never pour pesticide down a drain, a toilet or onto the ground — it moves straight into groundwater. Never decant into an unlabelled bottle. Never rinse a sprayer into a gully.

## Related pages

- [Where do Paint thinner, white spirit and turpentine go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/paint-thinner/)
- [Where do Asbestos go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/asbestos/)
- [Where do Old petrol and diesel go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/petrol/)
- [Where do Bleach, drain cleaner and household chemicals go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/household-cleaners/)
- [Where do Mercury thermometers and thermostats go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/mercury-thermometers/)
- [Where do Antifreeze and screenwash go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/antifreeze/)
- [Where do Household batteries (AA, AAA, C, D, 9V) go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/batteries/)
- [Where do Lithium-ion batteries go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/lithium-batteries/)
- [Where do Vapes and disposable e-cigarettes go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/vapes/)
- [Where do Medicines and tablets go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/medicines/)
- [Where do Pizza boxes go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/pizza-boxes/)
- [Where do Leftover wet paint go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/paint-wet/)

## Sources

- US Environmental Protection Agency — EPA (https://www.epa.gov/) [Public domain (US Government)]