Colorado's New Plan to Clean Up Old Pesticides—and Who's Paying for It

What This Bill Actually Does

Right now, if you are a commercial farmer, rancher, landscaper, or pest control business, getting rid of old, expired pesticides is a massive headache. You cannot just toss them in the dumpster or pour them down the drain—doing so is highly illegal and incredibly dangerous for the local water supply. Because household hazardous waste facilities will not accept commercial quantities or highly restricted-use chemicals, barrels of these products often sit forgotten in barns and storage sheds. Over time, these containers degrade, rust, and leak, creating a serious risk that toxic chemicals will seep into the soil and leach into our groundwater.

To solve this, HB26-1111 creates the Pesticide Product Disposal and Container Recycling Enterprise under the Colorado Department of Agriculture. Operating as a government-owned business, this enterprise is tasked with setting up statewide disposal and recycling events specifically tailored for commercial and private applicators. Instead of driving halfway across the state to find a specialized hazardous waste facility and paying steep individual freight costs, applicators will have access to predictable, localized drop-off events managed by third-party hazardous waste contractors.

To pay for this new infrastructure, the state is imposing two new fees starting January 1, 2027. First, an annual Pesticide Registration Product Disposal and Container Recycling Fee will hit the manufacturers and distributors who register their products for sale in Colorado. Second, a Pesticide Product Disposal Fee will be charged to the applicators who actually use the drop-off service. However, the state plans to use the manufacturer fees to subsidize the events, meaning applicators will only pay the disposal fee if they exceed a certain weight limit. It is a carrot-and-stick approach designed to incentivize the agricultural industry to finally clean out their storage sheds.

What It Means for You

For the average Coloradan—whether you are a parent, a homeowner, or someone who just values clean drinking water—this bill is mostly happening behind the scenes. You are not going to pay a direct fee at the hardware store when you buy a can of bug spray or weed killer for your garden. But you will directly benefit from the environmental cleanup this legislation drives. By giving farmers and pest control companies an easy, legal, and cost-effective way to get rid of nasty chemicals, this program drastically lowers the risk of agricultural runoff and groundwater contamination in your community.

That said, there is always a trickle-down effect when the state imposes new fees on an industry. The manufacturers who make these pesticides are going to see a bump in their annual registration fees, and local applicators will have to pay per-pound disposal fees if they have a massive amount of waste. While the initial fees are relatively small, those costs will inevitably be baked into the broader cost of doing business. You might eventually see a marginal increase in what your local lawn care service, exterminator, or even local produce supplier charges to cover their evolving overhead.

Here is how you can take action and protect your own property:

• Check your own garage: While this state program is strictly for commercial and private agricultural applicators, it is a great reminder to audit your own home. Check your garage or garden shed for rusting, leaking, or expired household chemicals.
• Use local resources: Your local county or municipality likely hosts a free household hazardous waste drop-off site for residents. Do not put weed killer in your regular trash bin.
• Talk to your pros: If you hire a pest control or lawn care service, ask them how they currently handle their chemical disposal. It is worth knowing if the vendors working on your property are acting responsibly with their toxic waste.

What It Means for Your Business

If you are one of Colorado's 10,200 registered commercial applicators or private applicators, this bill is a game-changer for your operations. Starting in 2027, you will not have to hoard old chemicals or pay exorbitant, specialized freight costs to haul them away safely. The state will host localized drop-off events where you can dump your excess product and recycle the containers. According to the state's fiscal note, the program will cover the cost for the first 100,000 pounds of waste statewide each year. Once that subsidized cap is hit, you are looking at a disposal fee of roughly $2 per pound. While participation is entirely voluntary, this gives you a highly predictable, legal avenue to clear out your liability.

If you manufacture or distribute pesticides, get ready for a fee hike. Every single one of the roughly 18,100 pesticide products registered for sale in Colorado will carry the new annual fee. The fiscal note estimates this will look like a $31 increase on top of the current $205 base registration fee per product. On the flip side, if you operate a hazardous waste disposal or environmental remediation firm, this bill represents a massive new pipeline of state work. The Department of Agriculture will be issuing $300,000 to $375,000 in annual contracts to third-party firms to actually run these collection events and process the waste.

Here is your to-do list to prepare for these changes:

• Audit your inventory: Take stock of your current expired or unwanted pesticide inventory right now. If this bill passes, you will want to be first in line for the free subsidized disposal limits in early 2027 before the $2-per-pound fees kick in.
• Budget for fee increases: If you register products in the state, update your 2027 forecasting to include a roughly 15% increase in your annual registration fees per product.
• Watch for RFPs: Waste management and logistics firms should keep a close eye on the Department of Agriculture's procurement portals in late 2026 for the first round of lucrative disposal event contracts.

Follow the Money

Because this program is structured as a government enterprise, it operates entirely outside of the TABOR (Taxpayer's Bill of Rights) revenue cap. It funds itself exclusively through the new fees rather than pulling from the state's General Fund. According to the fiscal note, the enterprise will generate about $562,000 in its first year (FY 2026-27), almost entirely from the $31 fee increase on pesticide product registrations. By FY 2027-28, that revenue is projected to jump to $762,000 as the $2-per-pound applicator disposal fees officially kick in.

On the expenditure side, the Department of Agriculture will spend roughly $357,000 in the first year to get the enterprise off the ground. This includes hiring a program administrator, leasing a fleet vehicle for statewide travel, and spending $200,000 to build a custom database to track participants, event registrations, and waste volumes. Once the program is fully operational, the bulk of the ongoing budget—around $375,000 annually—will flow directly to the private waste management contractors hired to host the disposal events and safely destroy the chemicals.

Where This Bill Stands

HB26-1111 was introduced in the House on February 3, 2026, and has been assigned to the House Agriculture, Water & Natural Resources Committee. It features bipartisan-leaning prime sponsorship from Representatives Tisha Mauro and Karen McCormick, alongside Senators Cathy Kipp and Dylan Roberts.

Given that this bill solves a very real, very dangerous logistical headache for the agricultural sector without tapping into general taxpayer dollars, it has a solid chance of moving forward. However, you can expect some industry pushback during committee hearings from pesticide manufacturers regarding the size and scope of the mandatory registration fees. If the bill passes and is signed by the Governor, the enterprise will spend late 2026 building its infrastructure, with the actual fees and disposal events going live on January 1, 2027.