[Pharmwaste] Per pound cost of disposal technologies?

[Ed Gottlieb]

Looking to compare the typical cost per pound of various disposal technologies.
Please help by filling in the gaps and correcting any errors.  Thanks!

Most box based take-back programs fall in the $2-5/pound range.

Need cost per pound number(s) for mail back programs!

In-home disposal pouches list their capacity by the number of pills.  To get a cost/pound an average weight for a dose of medication is needed.  Have you calculated this?  Need it for total weight, not active ingredients only, and without packaging.  Thanks!

Wiki says that pills/capsules typically contain 5-10% active ingredients.
A pharmacist I called had no clue about the average weight of active ingredients or total dose weight.

Plowing ahead to get a ball park number...
My lab scale puts the wight of a 200 mg IBU pill at 0.315 gm.
Retail price (Deterra, multiple vendors) for a pouch that holds 45 pills = $6.50
45 x 0.315 gm = 14.175 gm =  0.0313 pounds @ $6.50 = $207.67/pound
If the bulk wholesale price is 1/3 less, then $138.44/pound

Thanks for your assistance!

Ed Gottlieb
Chair, Coalition for Safe Medication Disposal
Board Member, New York Product Stewardship Council
Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator
Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Facility
525 3rd Street
Ithaca, NY  14850
(607) 273-8381
fax: (607) 273-8433
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