Drugs - What a Waste!

At the Windham Solid Waste Management District (WSWMD), we get a lot of calls regarding the best way to dispose of pharmaceutical waste. This includes expired, unused, spilt and contaminated pharmaceutical products, drugs and vaccines. Historically, the hospital incinerators and sewers were the common and simple methods for waste disposal. Today, incinerators are less common and we’re finding out that it’s not cool to flush your drugs down the toilet.

Current studies reveal that traces of antibiotics are being found in river and lake water samples, potentially harming the delicate balance of aquatic ecosystems. Fish get fat with estrogen and antibiotics can destroy the necessary bacteria in your septic system, preventing it from functioning properly. Plus, pharmacists have become more aware of the laws that regulate solid waste disposal.

The federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, (RCRA), enforced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is a large body of law that pharmacists have become better acquainted with. Common drugs such as warfarin, nicotine, epinephrine, nitroglycerin, and even some chemotherapy agents actually meet the definition of hazardous waste. Therefore, they must be segregated for special waste management and cannot be sewered or landfilled.

A pharmacists primary concern was always insuring the safety of children and limiting the access or illegal distribution of prescribed drugs. Flushing was the accepted disposal practice because it prevents immediate accidental ingestion. Now its been discovered that drugs in the wastewater can cause unintentional human exposure to chemicals in medications when that water is reused. The disposal process for prescription drugs has gotten complicated.

A household hazardous waste collection would be the most logical solution. Unfortunately, many hazardous waste contractors do not accept prescription medicines. Although hazardous waste is either incinerated or landfilled in facilities designed for toxic products, narcotics need to be accounted for. Therefore, if a community wants to collect pharmaceuticals during their household hazardous waste day, a pharmacist and police officer need to be present. Collecting hazardous waste is already a huge expense in the municipal budget; add to that the task of cataloguing, separating, protecting, and accounting for all medicines.

Jim Heal, Director of Pharmacy at Grace Cottage Hospital in Townshend, has taken on the task of organizing the first district-wide drug collection sponsored by Grace Cottage! On Saturday, November 7, 9AM to 11AM, residents of Brattleboro, Brookline, Dover, Dummerston, Guilford, Halifax, Jamaica, Marlboro, Newfane, Putney, Readsboro, Stratton, Townshend, Vernon, Wardsboro, Westminster, Whitingham, Wilmington, and Winhall can bring outdated, unused, unneeded prescription and non-prescription medications (preferably in their original containers) to the EMS Training Room (there will be signage in front of Grace Cottage on Route 35).

Medications Only! Please do not bring sharps (needles); these can be brought to the WSWMD Convenience Center in Brattleboro on a daily basis. Contact Jim at Grace Cottage Hospital, 365-3624, for more information if needed.

Also on November 7, WSWMD will be having their annual HHW collections in Brattleboro, Dover, Townshend, Wilmington, and Winhall. Go on line to windhamsolidwaste.org for locations and times, or call WSWMD, 257-0272.