AUGUSTA — Mainers are urged to take advantage of a free opportunity to dispose of banned or unusable pesticides that they may have in their homes or elsewhere on their properties.

This October, the Maine Board of Pesticides Control will team up with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to dispose of banned pesticides or pesticides that have become caked, frozen or otherwise rendered unusable.

This free disposal program is open to homeowners, family-owned farms and greenhouses. Anyone interested must register by Sept. 27.

“We urge people holding these chemicals to contact us immediately to register,” said BPC Director Henry Jennings. “There will be four sites throughout the state where participants will be able to bring their obsolete pesticides and dispose of them conveniently and at no cost.”

The collected chemicals go to out-of-state disposal facilities licensed by the federal Environmental Protection Agency where they are incinerated or reprocessed.

Registration is mandatory — drop-ins are not permitted. To register, get details and learn important information about the temporary storage and transportation of obsolete pesticides, go to the BPC website at thinkfirstspraylast.org, or call 207-287-2731.