Integrated Waste Management adding more locations to get rid of
medication, sharps
San Benito County’s Integrated Waste Management is working to
make proper disposal of unused and expired medication, as well as
syringes or lancets (used by diabetics to test their blood sugar),
easier for local residents.
Integrated Waste Management adding more locations to get rid of medication, sharps
San Benito County’s Integrated Waste Management is working to make proper disposal of unused and expired medication, as well as syringes or lancets (used by diabetics to test their blood sugar), easier for local residents.
“The state passed a law in September 2008 that you cannot put home-generated sharps [syringes and lancets] in the trash at home,” said Mandy Rose, the director if integrated waste management. “It is the age-old thing about quantity.”
For years, Integrated Waste Management has hosted a once-a-month disposal day at the John Smith Landfill where residents could drop off their household hazardous waste. Residents can still bring items such as unused medication and sharps to John Smith Landfill, as well as other hazardous items, the third Saturday of every month from 9 a.m. to noon, but Rose is looking to get more convenient locations that are available throughout the month.
Part of the reason for being so cautious with syringes is that there is a chance that any remaining medication could get into the water system. That is a similar concern with flushing leftover medicines down the toilet or tossing them into the trash.
“Flushing medications in their most concentrated form is more of a pollution hazard,” Rose said. “There are hormones, antibiotics, disrupting the flora and fauna. But the sewer is treated and it percolates back down. We don’t want to be taking that with our drinking water.”
The first location on board is Penny Wise Drugs, on San Benito Street.
“We were contacted by the county and they asked if we would be willing to participate so we had to find a location for the containers, which we did,” said Steve Rosati, who owns Penny Wise with his family. “They come and pick it up [when it is full], and exchange it for a new one.”
Penny Wise has been a drop off point for three months, and Rose is in talks with several other locations in Hollister, San Juan Bautista and Aromas.
“Steve, no questions asked, was willing to participate,” Rose said, noting some of the difficulties she’s had in trying to get corporate pharmacies on board for the program.
Once more locations are established, Rose said they will start a campaign to get the word out about the program by promoting it at clinics, doctors offices and in local media. For now, Rosati said residents seem to be catching on.
“We’ve had a good number,” Rosati said. “They’ve [Integrated Waste Management] already come once and picked up a load and left a little larger container so we are getting participation.
“There is potential for not only all along the chain with getting stuck – I’m sure you know the associated pathogens – but we don’t know what medicine is left in syringes,” she said.
With sharps, residents do need to bring them in a proper disposal container – a plastic container that is labeled as biohazard and that is tightly sealed to prevent the needles from getting out of the container. The containers are sold in local stores for $4 to $5 – drugstore.com sells one for $3.69 – and are made of puncture-proof plastic.
“People used to use coffee cans or milk jugs,” Rose said, noting that the state law passed in 2008 requires use of a container made specifically for sharps disposal. “The challenge is that most insurances don’t reimburse for that kind of supply.”
Rose said she is looking for grant options that could allow the county to provide a new container to residents when they turn in a full container, and that some other waste management districts have programs such as that in place.
Medication – liquid, tablets or capsules – can be brought in its original container, but residents should cut off the prescription number and their name from the label.
“This is something that is a little bit easier,” Rosati said, “A little closer to town. It’s easier to reach us than take a trip.”
Penny Wise Drug
549 San Benito St., Hollister
– Prescription medication can be brought in original container, with prescription number and name removed.
– Sharps, such as lancets and syringes, can be brought in approved puncture-proof plastic containers.
