[Pharmwaste] Better Environmental Benefit
VeoraLittle at aol.com
VeoraLittle at aol.com
Sun Oct 26 14:29:40 EDT 2008
Good Afternoon,
Is incineration or recycling better? I am not sure the question was
answered.
Is anyone working on an alternative container for pharmaceuticals? One that
is environmentally friendly?
Ms. Smith, I appreciate your concern about removing medication from the
original container because of pill identification should someone need that
information. Privacy is also a concern and the law.
We conduct a program called "Operation Medicine Cabinet" in Naples,
Florida. Our County Wide take-back program includes Collier County Law Enforcement
and DrugFreeCollier (Substance Abuse Coalition)volunteer coverage.
Our intent is to educate the community about the alarming dangers when
children take medications from the household medicine cabinets. We instruct on
locking up medications one needs and bringing in for incineration those that
they do not need. We collect all medications including controlled substances.
Medications are deposited by the person who owns the medication into a
secured cardboard box. We ask that they pour the pills directly into the box
and discard or take home the containers. ( The cardboard box is designed for
easy transport and incineration by our Law Enforcement Officers)
Citizens may leave bottles, we black out labels and separate plastic
containers for recycling as much as possible. We tell citizens to take their
bottles home if they wish. We do not count or identify pills, we collect all as
abandoned property to assure personal privacy.
If recycling vs incineration is not the best choice please let us know.
Veora M.Little, CRNA
_veoralittle at aol.com_ (mailto:veoralittle at aol.com)
In a message dated 10/24/2008 10:24:56 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, cs
mith at pharmecology.com writes:
Hi Catherine,
Lynn Rubenstein, Executive Director of the Northeast Recycling Council, did
some extensive research on this a few years ago. You might check with her at
_lynn at nerc.org_ (mailto:lynn at nerc.org) and (802) 254-3636. >From another
perspective, as a pharmacist I am always extremely nervous when drugs are
removed from their primary container and their identity is lost. Should any
diversion occur, resulting in overdose or poisoning, it is impossible to treat the
victim without adequate information. This would also pertain to pets, etc.
And there is also the privacy issue regarding personal information.
Best regards,
Charlotte A. Smith, R. Ph., M.S., HEM
President
PharmEcology Associates, LLC
12229 W. North Ave., Suite 2
Wauwatosa, WI 53226
414-292-3959
414-915-4026(cell)
csmith at pharmecology.com
Visit us at ASHP Booth #1727
From: pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us
[mailto:pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us] On Behalf Of Catherine Zimmer
Sent: Friday, October 24, 2008 9:46 AM
To: pharmwaste at lists.dep.state.fl.us
Subject: [Pharmwaste] Better Environmental Benefit
Hi all,
Has anyone done, or does anyone know of any research related to the
environmental benefits or life-cycle of recycling used prescription bottles vs.
incineration of them? Here are the issues:
1. Recycling of the bottles, while reclaiming the polypropylene
plastic, is likely down-cycling and the pharmaceutical residue in the bottles is
likely sent to wastewater.
2. Incineration of the bottles, while has some energy benefit, has ash
and air emission concerns.
Thanks for your help!
--
Catherine Zimmer
Health Care Specialist
Minnesota Technical Assistance Program
University of Minnesota
612.624.4635, 800.247.0015
_http://www.mntap.umn.edu_ (http://www.mntap.umn.edu/)
Helping Minnesota businesses maximize resource efficiency, increase energy
efficiency, reduce costs, and prevent pollution
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