Handout produced by
La Crosse County Household Hazardous Material Facility |
Medication Disposal Program |
USFWS Photo
|
Why is there a need for the program?
Due to complex regulations, there are few legitimate options to dispose of unwanted prescription medications and over-the-counter products in an environmentally safe manner. Large quantities of unused medications accumulate in many homes and storage facilities that lack adequate security, leaving many of these drugs available for abuse and tragedy unless disposed of properly.
USFWS Photo
|
History of the Program:
In western Wisconsin, representatives of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Mayo Health System, and La Crosse County met early in 2007 to discuss the common need for a comprehensive program to safely dispose of unwanted medications for the county’s 109,000 residents. Members of this diverse team developed the conceptual plan for a medication disposal program that would utilize the infrastructure and compliment the services of an existing, county-operated facility that accepts household hazardous materials (HHM) from residents and businesses, throughout the year, at little or no cost. This HHM service is also available to others in the tri-state (IA, MN, and WI) region for a nominal fee. (More) |
USFWS Photo
Medication collection at the HHM drive-thru facility began in June 2007. By the end of 2009, cumulative medication collections from households and businesses totaled 11 tons. Secured medications awaiting incineration are dissolved in barrels of water and naptha. The liquefied waste mixture is later transported to a licensed hazardous waste incinerator where it is safely combusted.
USFWS Photo
The establishment of a safe disposal program for unwanted medications here, as well as in other communities that discharge wastewater into the Upper Mississippi River (UMR) basin, should benefit not only humans, but also fish, mussels, and other drug-sensitive biota that inhabit the 261-mile long UMR National Wildlife & Fish Refuge.
|
USFWS Photo
A mobile HHM trailer is also used to transport medications collected for disposal in dozens of other counties throughout WI and surrounding states.
La Crosse County HHM Photo
This year-round medication collection and disposal program is approved by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Wisconsin Department of Regulation and Licensing. The program has also received prestigious award recognition for outstanding public service and innovative success.
For more information on the La Crosse County collection and disposal program for unwanted medications, visit La Crosse County Solid Waste Program
You are also invited to visit SMARXT DISPOSAL TM for information on the public awareness campaign, a unique public-private partnership between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the American Pharmacists Association, and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.
|
Biologically potent chemicals are found in many of the nation's surface water resources. Many of these compounds have a common source: prescription medications that are flushed into sewer systems for disposal. Environmental impacts of this disposal practice were not apparent until recent studies found unexpectedly high numbers of inter-sex fish near outfalls of many wastewater treatment plants. Laboratory studies demonstrate that male fish exposed to estrogen
from birth control pills will express inter-sex characteristics, and female mussels exposed to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors from anti-depressant medications will release their embryos prematurely. Perhaps more disturbing is that many waterways receiving wastewater treatment plant discharges also supply drinking water to millions of Americans daily.
USFWS Photo
For more information,
please contact
Mark_Steingraeber@fws.gov
at (608) 783-8436.
|
Last updated:
February 22, 2011
