Fate of Lawn Care Pesticides During the Composting of Yard Trimmings

There is a growing emphasis on the composting of yard trimmings because of governmental bans on land-filling and incineration of leaves, grass and brush in many parts of the U.S. A primary concern with the composting of yard trimmings is the lack of knowledge about the fate of commonly used lawn care pesticides during composting. The purpose of this report is to summarize our recent findings on the fate of the most widely used lawn care pesticides 2,4–D (2,4–dichlorophenoxy acetic acid), Diazinon (O,O–diethyl O–[2-isopropyl–4–methyl–6–pyrimidinyl] phosphorothioate) and Pendimethalin (N–1–[ethylpropyl] 3,4–dimethyl 2,6–dini-trobenzamine) during the composting of yard trimmings.