NI Water are offering a free and confidential service for the safe disposal of unwanted, out of date or unlicensed pesticides and other chemicals and empty containers for farmers, growers and other pesticide users in the Lough Erne drinking water catchment area. Farmers in the eligible areas are encouraged to avail of this free farm-to-farm collection of unwanted chemicals and pesticides. NI Water are using a registered waste contractor, McQuillan Environmental, to pick up unwanted, out of date or unlicensed waste from individual farms, as listed below:  

• Herbicides/Weed Killer 
• Sheep Dip 
• Insecticide Sprays 
• Rodenticides 
• Fungicide Sprays 
• Empty pesticide or chemical containers 
• Veterinary medicines 

It is important to note that there will be no come back to you on the chemicals disposed of. This is an opportunity to safely dispose of unwanted chemicals and their containers and to reduce the risk to the environment and the drinking water source. If labels have come off, don’t worry, as McQuillan’s can still take the container. 

This collection service was successfully trialled in April 2022, January 2023 and March 2024 in the Castlederg, River Faughan and Lower Bann areas. Farmers in these areas were very pleased to have their unwanted pesticides and chemicals collected for free and a large amount of chemicals were disposed of and pollution risks have been avoided. Due to the success of the pilot scheme, it has now been decided to roll this out to other key areas. 

For further details and to view the Terms & Conditions and data protection details for the scheme please click here

Eligibility

To be eligible for the scheme, farmers must live within the Lough Erne drinking water catchment area. This is most of Co Fermanagh (Excluding Garrison area as it is in the Lough Melvin catchment) and parts of Co Tyrone. 

To check if you live in the eligible area please click here or view below.

How to Register

Registration for the scheme opens on 16th February 2026 and closes on 20th March 2026. Collections of the chemicals will then commence mid-March 2026. If you register for the scheme, McQuillan Environmental will collect these items free of charge from your farmyard on a pre-arranged date and then dispose of them safely and confidentially. The scheme will be available to 50 farms, so it’s best to register early to avoid disappointment. 

To register for the scheme, you must complete and submit the registration form at the link below. Please have details of what you want to dispose of and your farm postcode at hand, as this will be used to check eligibility. 

To register for the scheme online please click here

Kerry Morris, NI Water Catchment Officer commented, “This scheme is taking place to reduce the risk of dangerous chemicals making their way into watercourses within our drinking water catchments. We are happy to be working with our contractors, McQuillan Environmental, who will pick up the waste chemicals from the farm and dispose of them safely on our behalf and within all waste management regulations.” 

The scheme is supported by the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) Deputy President Glenn Cuddy said, “UFU are happy to support this NI Water venture.  This initiative will help protect our water sources and I would really encourage farmers in this area to take up the opportunity and register for this free service. This is an excellent initiative which will help farmers in the area tidy up their plant protection stores on farm and give peace of mind that unwanted or out of date product is now out of the way and disposed of in a responsible and safe way.” 

If you have any queries or require any further information, please email us at: catchment@niwater.com or contact us on 07824866310 or 07585996364 between 9am – 5pm Monday-Friday.