Pharmaceutical Collection Events Net Over 1,000 Pounds
of Medications for Proper Disposal
Tuesday, November 3, 2009 -
Boulder County - On September 26 and October 25 Partners for
a Clean Environment (PACE) teamed up with the City of
Boulder, Boulder Community Foothills Hospital, and Avista
Adventist Hospital to conduct two pharmaceutical collection
events. Over 500 people participated, and over 1,000 pounds
of medications were collected.
Most municipal wastewater treatment plants are not
designed to completely remove the chemicals and compounds
found in medications. This causes some to be released
directly back into waterways, where they can adversely
impact the environment. Recent studies have shown that these
chemicals can impact aquatic environments and even make
their way into drinking water.
At each drop-off event, people brought their expired and
unwanted medications for proper disposal to prevent them
from being flushed down a drain. Additional collection
events are being planned for 2010.
For those who were unable to attend the drop-off events,
there are other ways to properly dispose of unwanted
medications:
- Pour liquid medications over cat litter or another
absorbent material, and seal it in a plastic bag before
placing it in the trash.
- Fill pill containers with household glue, remove all
personal information from the container, and place it in
the trash after the glue has dried.
- Cut trans-dermal patches into small strips, place
them in a container, and add glue or mix them with
coffee grounds or cat litter.
To learn more about these events, call the PACE Hotline
at 303-786-PACE (7223). To learn more about PACE, visit
www.PacePartners.com. |
