[Pharmwaste] Response: Trash Disposal of Pharmaceuticals (Volkman, Jennifer & Charlotte Smith)

[Heil, Ann]

I don't buy either of these arguments. I work for an agency that =
operates both sewers and landfills. One very important fact to keep in =
mind about landfills is that the volume of landfill leachate produced is =
very small.  A large landfill may only produce about 10,000 gallons per =
day of leachate.  It is MUCH easier to treat 10,000 gallons per day of =
leachate than 500 million gallons per day of wastewater.  I also don't =
believe it is correct to say that landfills will eventually leak.  =
Modern landfills are lined, with leachate collections systems.

While I don't believe that landfills are the best place for waste drugs, =
the drugs are much better off in a landfill than going down the toilet. =
The only way to get people to stop flushing drugs is to give them a =
reasonable alternative.  Pharmacy collection programs are not in place.  =
Many people will not take the trouble to go to a household hazardous =
waste collection center or event.  I would rather have people putting =
their drugs in the trash, in a way that is not accessible to children or =
pets, than flushing them down the toilet.=20

Just to be clear - landfills are not the best place for drugs, but they =
are better places than sewers. If you want people not to flush, you have =
to give them an alternative that they will actually do.

Ann Heil
LACSD

-----Original Message-----
From: pharmwaste-admin@lists.dep.state.fl.us
[mailto:pharmwaste-admin@lists.dep.state.fl.us]On Behalf Of David
Stitzhal
Sent: Thursday, June 30, 2005 7:44 AM
To: pharmwaste@lists.dep.state.fl.us
Subject: [Pharmwaste] Response: Trash Disposal of Pharmaceuticals
(Volkman, Jennifer & Charlotte Smith)




The two main arguments I hear about avoiding landfill disposal are,=20
in a nutshell:

1). Landfill leachate is sent to wastewater treatment.  Given that=20
many drugs are not captured in current treatment processes,=20
pharmaceuticals that have migrated into the leachate can end up in=20
the environment.

2). All landfills will eventually leak, and the leachate will migrate=20
to soil, and possibly groundwater, below and around the landfill.


--=20
David Stitzhal, MRP
President
Full Circle Environmental, Inc.
3111 37th Place South
Seattle, WA 98144
U.S.A.
206-723-0528 phone
206-723-2452 fax
stitzhal@fullcircleenvironmental.com
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