Once again, we can report of the success of one of the very many drug waste take-back schemes operating in communities in the US.
The most recent have occurred in Washington State, netting 420 pounds of medical waste during a four-hour take-back event organised by the Battle Ground Police Department [great name!] which included 267 pounds of controlled substances which will be shipped to the Drug Enforcement Administration for destruction.
The event was sponsored by the DEA in partnership with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, Clark County Environmental Services, PREVENT! Coalition, and Prevent Together: Battle Ground Prevention Alliance.
The intention of the drug take-back event was to keep medications out of the hands of kids, while also safely disposing of them and preventing them from seeping into landfills and water supplies.
Medications can still disposed of at the Battle Ground Police Department office, thus promoting regular safe disposal without stockpiling, and offering a disposal option that improves on placing unwanted drug waste into the domestic waste stream or down the toilet thus improving environmental protection.
A linked event held over just four hours at Clark College’s purple parking lot collected more than 1,000 pounds of pills — 23% more than last year. And at Clark College itself, 341 visitors dropped off 836 pounds of pills. In addition, the event collected 14 pounds of cardboard, 34 pounds of glass, 78 pounds of mixed paper and 163 pounds of plastic pill bottles.
So, in just one simple coordinated take back event with multiple collection points, vast quantities of drug waste were collected, massively reducing the environmental impact of this waste, eliminating stockpiling within households and undoubtedly reducing the possibility for intentional overdose and accidental ingestions by children.
What a great event. Can we do the same here please, to clear out those bathroom cabinets?
With easy elimination of vast quantities of prescription and non-prescription medicine waste it must surely be difficult for regulators to say no, but still there seems to be resistance to this work in the UK. It costs money, but the advantages are clear and it would be money well spent, on behalf of the Environment Agency, healthcare funding bodies (the old and now defunct PCTs), Water UK and the wastewater sector, and Local Government public health/health protection services and waste/environmental services. It would be good if the waste sector chipped in too.
All it takes is good intention, and effort.