Brooks Announces Pharmaceutical Waste Collection

County Executive Maggie Brooks announced that the Monroe County Department of Environmental Services (DES), Sheriff’s Office, Wegmans Food Markets, Covanta Niagara and the Center for Environmental Information have partnered to hold “Check, Collect, Control” - a free pharmaceutical waste collection Saturday, April 18, 2009 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The collection will be held at the Monroe County Rochester Operations Center on 444 East Henrietta Road.
“Check, Collect, Control” encourages residents to check for unused or expired prescription medicines and over-the-counter medications, collect them and control their availability. Waste from pharmacies, veterinarians and pharmaceutical businesses will not be accepted.
“Pharmaceutical waste collections give Monroe County residents the opportunity to dispose of potentially harmful medications in the safest manner possible,” said Brooks. “This program is another example of how the County and its partners continue to establish a secure and environmentally-friendly disposal of expired and/or unwanted prescriptions and over-the-counter medications.”

No appointment is needed for this free collection event. Residents are required to black out any personal information (not the medication name or dosage) on their prescription containers.  Nearly 500 residents attended Monroe County's pharmaceutical collection in March 2009.  More than 1,000 pounds of pharmaceuticals and controlled substances were collected and destroyed.
A recent national study concluded that pharmaceuticals that are flushed down drains and toilets could enter the soil, surface water and groundwater, potentially contaminating water supplies. While water currently provided by the Monroe County Water Authority has been shown to be free of these contaminants, residents must continue to properly dispose of medications to keep the water supply safe.
In addition, storing unwanted or expired drugs in homes may increase the risk of accidental poisoning. Experts also note that medicines that are thrown in the trash can be taken by anyone to be later sold in the street or shared.

The Monroe County DES is also working with local municipalities to host their own pharmaceutical waste collections.  A complete listing of these events can be found at www.monroecounty.gov/hhw or by calling the DES at 753-7600 (option #3).