New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Amanda Lefton announced the record-breaking results of recent CleanSweepNY collection events in DEC鈥檚 Region 3 (lower Hudson Valley). Held during the week of May 12, the events collected more than 222,000 pounds of chemicals for safe disposal. DEC collected the record聽amount of chemical waste from 179 participants in this annual event, which keeps unwanted pesticides and other chemical wastes out of聽the environment, communities, and municipal solid waste landfills.
鈥淓ffective collection programs like DEC鈥檚 CleanSweepNY make it easy for New Yorkers to discard of unwanted or expired chemicals and pesticides,鈥� said Commissioner Lefton. 鈥淐leanSweepNY helps people get rid of these toxic materials in a safe and environmentally responsible way. This year, DEC set a record, with 179 farmers, businesses, and institutions in the lower Hudson Valley participating in CleanSweepNY disposing of 222,526 pounds of chemicals to help build a toxic-free future for New York State.鈥�
CleanSweepNY聽helps promote a healthy and sustainable New York by providing opportunities for聽the proper disposal of unwanted and/or obsolete pesticides and other chemicals.聽In 2025, DEC held collection events in Kingston, Fishkill, Middletown, and Valhalla. Participants from聽LIST counties in DEC鈥檚 Region 3 were encouraged to dispose of materials at one of the four sites.
The event resulted in the collection of 222,526 pounds of chemical wastes from 179 participants. Highlights include the collection of 108,671 pounds of pesticides and 63,174 pounds of paint. Also collected were 199 mercury-containing devices and 73,849 feet (13.99 miles) of fluorescent tube lighting. This collection event breaks the previous CleanSweepNY record of 219,869 total pounds set by the New York City/Long Island collection held in August of 2022.
Onsite pickups were provided to four farms and a golf course. On-site pickups are provided when chemicals are unsafe to transport to a collection site due to the poor condition of their containers, hazard posed when handling and transporting certain chemicals or large volume of chemical waste.聽DEC administers, schedules, and organizes CleanSweepNY program events in collaboration with the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT). Collection events were held at multiple DOT facilities.
New York Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said, 鈥淭he State Department of Transportation is committed to protecting the environment and to safeguarding our air, water and climate for future generations.聽We are proud to have worked with our CleanSweepNY partners to help keep these unwanted chemical wastes from polluting our environment and endangering the health and safety of New Yorkers.鈥�