[Pharmwaste] EPA: Collect 1 million pills for Earth Day

[Nicole Gattas]

http://www.epa.gov/greatlakes/earthday2008/
   
  or http://www.twincities.com//ci_8935734?IADID=Search-www.twincities.com-www.twincities.com
   
  “Collect 1 Million Pounds of e-Waste and 1 Million Unwanted Pills”   For Earth Day 2008, US EPA challenges residents and communities around the Great Lakes to collect and recycle electronic waste and to properly dispose of unwanted medicines. 
  e-Waste  Electronic waste includes all those old or broken TVs, cell phones, computer components and similar gadgets that are part of our lives. E-waste contains possibly hazardous materials that can harm human health and the Great Lakes environment if disposed of improperly. In 2005 we discarded an estimated 2 million tons of TVs, computers and other electronic gear. Proper disposal and recycling are necessary to avoid unwanted pollution. When we reuse or recycle e-waste properly, we recover materials for re-use, save energy and reduce the environmental costs of raw material extraction and processing. 
  More information about e-waste
   
  Medicines  Traces of medicines have been found in streams and the Great Lakes where we get our drinking water and have also been detected near wastewater treatment outflows. Some of these medicines can lead to reproductive and developmental problems in fish and other animals. We often treat leftover medicine as a common household waste. More than half of people surveyed throw their unused medicines in the trash while a third flush them down the drain. In both cases, the medicines have the potential to be released into our rivers and lakes.
  More information about unwanted medicines
   
   
  The Challenge  U.S. EPA issues this Earth Day Challenge to residents, businesses and community organizations throughout the Great Lakes basin to plan or participate in collection events of e-waste or unwanted medicines during Earth Week April 19 – 27. Across the Great Lakes region, communities are stepping up, signing on to the challenge and adding their collection and take-back events to the efforts of thousands. This is a chance to see how much we can accomplish together. The Challenge is to collect a million pounds of e-waste for proper management and a million pills of unwanted medicines for responsible disposal during Earth Week. 
  Help Meet the Challenge
   
  Contact Us  If you would like more information about the Challenge or would like to speak to someone about it, you can contact us by either using our Online Form or by calling our toll-free Earth Day Challenge Hotline at 866-575-8543 (available M-F, 8:15 am to 4:45 pm Central Time, or leave a message anytime for a call-back).
  
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