[Pharmwaste] RE:landfill issue - not THE solution, but better than flushing while we work on something better

[Price, John L.]

Jen: Landfilling of unused medications from household users is likely not THE
solution, but it is a better choice than flushing at this point in time. A
hierarchy of disposal options is a useful way to answer the question that we
commonly get from citizens: "What do I do with my unused medications?" From
what I hear from our citizens, telling them "Just hold 'em until we work out
the perfect, environmentally-bombproof solution" does not cut it. They want
to know what they can do NOW that helps the environment. 

I first heard the hierarchy concept during discussions with a group led by
Lynn Rubenstein, Northeast Recycling Council, about a year back. The
resulting guidance can be found at
http://www.nerc.org/adobe/BMPforendoflifemanagement-final.pdf. 
Our agency recently released our own guidance on disposal of unused
medications a few days ago on our medications disposal web at
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/medications. The guidance is
attached and on line at
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/quick_topics/publications/shw/meds/DisposalH
ierarchyFinal12142006.pdf. It is similar to the NERC guidance.

Landfill disposal, for those areas of the country that do not have access to,
or the bucks to pay for, solid waste or hazardous waste combustion of pharms,
is a step forward from flushing. Taking some sensible precautions when
disposing meds in the trash [second attachment and online at
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/quick_topics/publications/shw/meds/DEPMedica
tionDisposalFlyer111706Final.pdf], like adding something to the bottle to
make the medication unusable to potential diverters, helps reduce the risks
of intentional or unintentional misuse. The risks from diversion of pharms,
like all risk, can never be zero: it can only be reduced.  

Research is currently underway to see "if there are pharms in the [landfill]
leachate" and if so, which ones, in which concentrations carrying what kind
of risk. If it turns out that there are problematic concentrations of pharms
in landfill leachate, we can work on better leachate management from a few
hundred/thousand landfills rather than have to deal with a problem that is
coming from every toilet in the US and going into every wastewater treatment
plant and septic tank in the country.

As public solid waste managers, our job is to improve disposal, reduce risk
from diversion and maximize environmental protection within existing resource
and information constraints. We can't wait - the environment can't wait - for
the perfect solution and a blank check before we take action.

Jack. 


John L. (Jack) Price
Environmental Manager
Hazardous Waste Management MS 4555
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
2600 Blair Stone Road
Tallahassee, FL  32399-2400
Phone:850.245.8751
Fax: 850.245.8811
john.l.price at dep.state.fl.us
www.dep.state.fl.us/waste
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-----Original Message-----
From: pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us
[mailto:pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us] On Behalf Of Jackson,
Jennifer
Sent: Tuesday, February 06, 2007 4:15 PM
To: pharmwaste at lists.dep.state.fl.us
Subject: [Pharmwaste] RE:landfill issue

In the San Francisco Bay Area we do not have consensus from the solid
waste companies and agencies that trash is the solution. My
understanding is that there are several reasons for this. First, manual
sorting happens at some landfills and transfer stations, opening the
issue of diversion. Second, some areas still have not-so-modern
landfills located adjacent to surface water bodies. And last, leachate
that is collected from even the modern landfills is typically off-hauled
to wastewater treatment plants, so if there are pharms in the leachate,
we are just putting the issue of treatment back into sewage treatment's
court.

Jen Jackson | East Bay Municipal Utility District | 510-287-0818


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