MDA to offer free waste pesticide collections in NW MN counties

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) will host a series of waste pesticide collections in six northwestern Minnesota counties from Tuesday, August 12, through Thursday, August 14, 2014.  Through these free collection events, Minnesota homeowners and farmers can safely dispose of unwanted and unusable pesticides.

MDA has collected over 5.25 million pounds around the state since the program started in 1990.  The program accepts unwanted, unusable agricultural and consumer type pesticides including insecticides, fungicides, herbicides and rodenticides.  However, crop oils, adjuvants, pesticide rinsate, fertilizer, treated seed, contaminated soil and empty pesticide containers will not be accepted.  The collections are open to farmers, homeowners, commercial pesticide applicators, golf courses, lawn care companies, structural pest control operators and other pesticide users.  No pre-registration is required. 

Collection sites will accept up to 300 pounds of eligible product at no cost. MDA requests that citizens call 651-201-6562 to provide advance notification if they wish to drop off more than 300 pounds of product.

MDA collections will be held at the following locations and times:

Red Lake County                  August 12, Red Lake County Coop, Red Lake Falls, 9a.m. to 11 a.m.

Pennington County               August 12, CHS Ag Services, Thief River Falls, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Marshall County                   August 13, CHS Ag Services, Warren, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Kittson County                      August 13, CPS at old AGSCO site, Hallock, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Roseau County                      August 14, Northern Resources, Roseau, 9 a.m. to 11a.m.

Lake of the Woods County  August 14, Northern Farmers Coop, Williams, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

For more details, contact the MDA Pesticide and Fertilizer Management Division at 651-201-6562.

Moorhead Police Collecting Unwanted Prescription Drugs on Saturday April 26th

Moorhead, MN – On Saturday April 26^th the Moorhead Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public another opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.  Through a partnership with the Moorhead Walgreen Stores we will be accepting your medications for disposal on Saturday April 26^th.  The Downtown Walgreens located at 8^th Street and Main Avenue will participate form 10:00 a.m. to Noon.  The Walgreen’s located at 8^th Street and 30^th Avenue South will both participate from Noon to 2:00 p.m. 

The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked. Pills can be left in a bottle or put in a zip lock bag.  Liquids should be sealed in a bottle and secured in a zip lock bag.  We ask that no needles are put into the lock box. 

317 pounds of medication have been collected over the last three years in Moorhead through this initiative.  This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue.  Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.  Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.

Department of Revenue releases cigarette floor stock tax collection report

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Department of Revenue released collection figures for the one-time cigarette floor stock tax that contributes to Minnesota’s share of the new Vikings stadium financing. Of the $30,460,945 reported to the department from cigarette retailers and distributors, $30,459,653 has been collected by the department so far in September. By law, $26.5 million of this will be available for Vikings stadium financing. The remaining $3.96 million will go to the state’s general fund along with the revenue from the increased cigarette and tobacco taxes that went into effect on July 1, 2013.

“The collection figure released today ensures that the state has the revenue to cover its portion of the Vikings stadium financing.” said Revenue Commissioner Myron Frans. “This one-time revenue is the only portion of the cigarette and tobacco tax that will go to finance the Vikings stadium.”

In May, Governor Dayton and the legislature passed two new sources of financing for the Vikings stadium. The one-time cigarette floor stock revenues and tax revenues from closing the corporate income tax loophole that existed for unitary sales tax reporting will together provide long-term financing for the Vikings stadium.  

APRIL IS NATIONAL FINANCIAL LITERACY MONTH

ST. PAUL - (April 2, 2013) – April is National Financial Literacy month and a great time to remind consumers of the importance of taking charge of their personal financial well-being. Among the important aspects Minnesota consumers should know is what to do if contacted by a debt collector about a delinquent or defaulted account.

“While no one really wants to get a call or letter telling them they owe money, consumers need to know they are not alone,” Minnesota Association of Collectors President Tom Gavinski said. “Each year, for many very legitimate and often unavoidable reasons, millions of consumers fall behind on payments and are contacted by a debt collector.”

The Minnesota Association of Collectors offers helpful tips for Minnesota consumers to help effectively manage contact from third-party debt collector should the need arise. A third-party debt collector is unique in that they are service provider hired by the owner of the debt (i.e., a creditor or debt buyer) to recover a rightfully owed debt on their behalf.

Know Your Rights. Consumers have important rights under federal and state law, and deserve to be treated respectfully. By law, consumers cannot be harassed, threatened or be subjected to profanity and vulgar language.

For more information about consumer rights in debt collection or to ask questions, visit http://www.askdoctordebt.org.

Communicate. If you hear from a debt collector, avoiding a letter or call won’t make the debt disappear. The reason for the contact cannot be resolved without the ability to communicate; whether it's to pay an owed debt, verify an alleged debt or confirm that the debt collector has reached the wrong person.

Ask for Identification. Debt collectors cannot call anonymously nor present themselves as being a representative of a government entity. When contacted, collectors must identify themselves and the name of the collection agency they represent.

Notify the Collection Agency if you Dispute the Validity of the Debt. By law, the collector must inform you of your right to dispute the debt and provide written verification if you dispute it in writing. All collection activity stops until this verification is provided.

Seek to Work Out Complaints with the Collection Agency. Third-party debt collectors sincerely want to work with consumers to resolve complaints. According to the Council of Better Business Bureaus, in 2012 collection agencies resolved 86 percent of the consumer complaints received.

Protect Your Identity. Do not confirm or provide sensitive personal information (e.g., Social Security number, credit card numbers, and bank accounts) until certain of the authenticity of the debt and the person seeking to collect. Check out whether the collector is a legitimate agency by using the Internet to search the company name or visit http://www.acainternational.org to see if they are a member. Monitor accounts and immediately report any suspicious or unauthorized purchases to your bank or credit card provider. Importantly, consumers should also monitor their credit report. If you believe your identity has been stolen, contact your local police department and visit http://www.ftc.gov/idtheft for information on what you should do.

The Minnesota Association of Collectors is a State Unit of ACA International (http://www.acainternational.org), the comprehensive, knowledge-based resource for the credit and collection industry. Founded in 1939, ACA brings together 5,000 members in the United States and abroad, and their more than 300,000 employees, representing third-party collection agencies, asset buyers, attorneys, creditors and vendor affiliates. ACA supports members through state and federal advocacy, training and resources.