[Pharmwaste] per pound cost of technologies

[Bickford, Barbara J - DNR (Barb)]

In 2012, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources published an in-depth assessment of the full costs, benefits, opportunities and challenges to expanding household take-back programs in Wisconsin. The study established a baseline collection rate against which future programs can be measured and compared costs of the current take-back program with those in Canada and Europe.
Wisconsin Household Pharmaceutical Waste Collection: Challenges and Opportunities [PDF]<http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/HealthWaste/documents/2012HouseholdPharmStudy.pdf>  (The PDF is large, so you may wish to view it on line instead of downloading it.)
The report's discussion of costs starts on page 7 (page 12 of the PDF).  Based on 2010 data, the total documented program cost of mail back programs was $18.40 per pound, compared to permanent and one day collection programs whose total cost was roughly $8 to $10 per pound.  Due to economies of scale, I suspect the cost of collection programs has gone down since 2010, whereas mail-back programs costs may be about the same.

Some have advocated that disposal pouches can treat pharmaceutical waste and could be more cost effective.  Are there independent tests of these pouches that can confirm or deny any claims that the pouches permanently inactivate the active ingredients of pharmaceuticals?   And does anyone have figures on the cost per pound of using pouches?
Barb Bickford
Medical Waste Coordinator and Hydrogeologist
Waste and Materials Mgt/Environmental Management Division
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
101 S. Webster St., PO Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707-7921
Phone: 608-267-3548
Fax: 608-267-2768
barbara.bickford at wisconsin.gov


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