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Pesticide News Story: Alert to Homeowners, Landscape and Pest Control Professionals: Grass Clippings Treated and Trees Injured by Herbicide Imprelis Should Not Be Used For Composting or Mulching
For Release: August 16, 2011
As part of EPA’s efforts to minimize injury to trees following use of the herbicide Imprelis, EPA is reminding people that grass clippings that have been treated with Imprelis should not be used for composting or mulching, and trees that may have been injured from Imprelis should also not be used for compost or mulch. This is because clippings from grass treated with Imprelis or mulch from trees injured by Imprelis could continue to cause non-target plant damage.
Specifically, the Imprelis label has the following restrictions on mulch and compost:
Do not use grass clippings from treated areas for mulching or compost, or allow for collection to composting facilities. Grass clippings must either be left on the treated area, or, if allowed by local yard waste regulations, disposed of in the trash. Applicators must give verbal or written notice to property owner/property manager/residents to not use grass clippings from treated turf for mulch or compost.
On August 11, EPA issued an order to immediately stop sale, use and distribution of the herbicide Imprelis and DuPont is voluntarily implementing a product return program. While these steps are focused on stopping future sale and use of the product, it is important that plant material from areas that have already been treated with Imprelis not be used for composting or mulching.
Imprelis is an herbicide that was sold by DuPont to licensed lawn care professionals, was used on residential, industrial and institutional lawns and on golf courses. The active ingredient in Imprelis is aminocyclopyrachlor. EPA has received numerous reports of injury to trees, including the Norway spruce and white pine related to the use of Imprelis. In response, EPA has taken a number of steps to provide federal oversight to help eliminate any further damage to trees.
More information is available at: https://www.epa.gov/pesticides/regulating/imprelis.html