COURTLAND—The Southampton County Board of Supervisors on Monday voted unanimously to continue a plastic pesticide container-recycling program through the county extension office.

The county will be reimbursed up to $1,875 through the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

The program provides a storage area at the county fairgrounds for one and two and a half gallon jugs that were previously filled with pesticides, herbicides and insecticides. The used jugs are put into a granulator that grinds them into nickel-sized pieces of plastic that are recycled, said Extension Agent Chris Drake.

Drake said farmers must first remove the cap and label from each jug and rinse them three times before they can be stored.

Drake said the program is beneficial to both sides.

“We’ve had a very good response to this program in the past,” he said.

Last year the county collected and recycled an estimated 18,000 containers from 21 different operators. Drake said county farmers can use 400 to 500 jugs a year and larger operations can use closer to 1,000.

“It helps the county in landfill space,” Drake said. “It’s obviously good for the environment.”

Any interested farmer can contact the county extension office at 757-653-2572.