Empty pesticide bags can be handled and disposed of as non-hazardous waste if they have been:

Empty pesticide bags can indeed be handled and disposed of as non-hazardous waste if they have been properly emptied according to the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) guidelines. This means that any residual pesticides must be removed from the bags following specific procedures established by the DPR to ensure safety and compliance with environmental regulations.

Properly emptying usually involves triple rinsing the bag or using a similar method to ensure that no pesticide residue remains. Once the bags are deemed properly emptied, they no longer pose a significant risk to human health or the environment, thus allowing for their disposal as non-hazardous waste.

Other options may seem plausible, but they do not meet the standards set out by regulatory guidelines. For example, simply disposing of the bags in a landfill may not ensure that any remaining pesticides do not leach into the environment. Burning might not effectively mitigate the risks associated with the combustion of potential contaminants, and recycling must adhere to specific local regulations which may or may not allow such materials to be processed as recyclable. Hence, the most reliable route to non-hazardous disposal is through adherence to DPR's proper emptying protocols.