May 11, 2007—The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has provided two nonprofit organizations grants to develop pilot programs on the proper disposal of unused medications. EPA says that every year, many tons of unwanted pharmaceuticals and personal care products enter the environment through consumer disposal to sewage and trash.
The purpose of the grants is to develop alternative stewardship approaches to disposal, including “mail back” or “take back” pilot demonstrations. The pilot projects will also include an inventory of the types and quantities of drugs returned. Inventory data could prove useful to the medical community in changing its prescribing practices to reduce the incidence of unused medications.
The University of Maine Center on Aging, Orono, ME, will receive $150,000. The Maine pilot will start, implement, and evaluate a mail-back plan to remove unused over-the-counter and prescription medications. In addition, the pilot will test the effectiveness of an educational campaign about the hazards to life, health, and the environment presented by improper storage and disposal of unused medications.
Area Resources for Community and Human Services (ARCHS), St Louis, MO, will receive $150,570. ARCHS plans to create an efficient regional model that removes and disposes of unwanted medications, and informs citizens of related health and environmental issues. The pilot will cover five counties and two states, including the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. The pilot proposes to have community grocery stores, the Schnuck Markets, serve as the collection sites for unwanted medications. The St. Louis College of Pharmacy will be involved in the collection and inventory of the unwanted or unused medications.
For more information visit EPA’s grant winners Web page.
