How to Safely Dispose of Household Medications

By Our Town Gwinnett Staff

Did you know that in 2019 up to 200 pharmaceuticals were detected in the surface water, ground water, and drinking water in the U.S., according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development? Conventional wastewater treatment plants are neither designed nor equipped to fully remove pharmaceuticals, which is how these substances end up in ground and surface water. What can you do to dispose of medications properly and help prevent these potent chemicals from polluting the environment?

While 61% of Americans are concerned about flushed painkillers polluting drinking water and public waterways, 1 out of 4 admit to flushing leftover prescriptions down the drain, and another 25% reported throwing unused medications in the trash, according to a study by Stericycle. If you are concerned about the environment, you can be part of the solution by taking advantage of new ways to safely dispose of unused medications. Here are practical do’s and don’ts to follow when discarding old medications or other household drugs.

DO: Regularly clean out your medicine cabinet. Are there unused medications you no longer need? Expired over-the-counter medications or prescriptions? Make it a habit to regularly inventory your medications and remove expired, unwanted, and unneeded ones for disposal.

DON’T: Hold on to prescriptions you are no longer advised to take by your doctor. The Stericycle study found that Americans keep unused prescriptions either for future use (30%), because they fear their illness reoccurring (32%) or because they don’t know how to dispose of them (nearly 15%). However, keeping unused medications in your home can be unsafe and increases risks for accidental ingestion or potential substance misuse.

DO: Use one of these safe disposal methods for discarding unused medications in your home. * Use the Deterra Drug Deactivation and Disposal System, a safe medication disposal pouch that can be used at home. It permanently deactivates drugs in many forms including pills, patches, liquids, films, and creams with the simple addition of tap water. Easily available on Amazon, and in their online store, Deterra’s proprietary activated carbon renders drugs inert and harmless, and its plant-based packaging and non-toxic ingredients prevent harmful chemicals from entering landfills and water supplies. * Find a drug take-back program in your community. These collection sites or drop boxes may be located at a nearby hospital, clinic pharmacy, or law enforcement agency. Sometimes you may also find pop-up drug collection events being held throughout the year. Be sure to ask what types of medications the program will accept, as some will

not take liquids.

DON’T: Flush medications down the toilet, put them down the drain, or throw them in the trash. While some sources may advise flushing pills or mixing meds with coffee grounds or kitty litter to make them unappealing to potential poachers, these methods do not render active chemicals inert and allow harmful ingredients to make their way into the water and soil after being discarded.

“It’s up to all of us – hospitals, clinics, families and individuals – to ensure that we’re preventing medications from polluting our environment,” said Nancy Devine, chief operating officer at Verde Environmental Technologies Inc. “The good news is, it’s not hard to do the right thing to keep hazardous substances from harming the planet.” (BPT)

Vecoma at the Yellow River Continued from page 9

guest list and narrowing down other options. The elopement package was borne out of necessity during the height of the pandemic, but co-owner Caroline Tucker has noticed that couples have continued to choose this option even as gathering restrictions have been lifted.

In fact, Vecoma at the Yellow River has become such a popular wedding venue that it was recently featured in the VH1 show My Celebrity Dream Wedding, where brides-to-be choose a celebrity wedding as the inspiration for their own nuptials. One Vecoma bride did just that, completing the celebration with décor that matched her favorite celebrity wedding – that of Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra, which took place in 2018. The Vecoma staff worked closely with the decorators to ensure this wedding was everything the bride had imagined.

Even if a client doesn’t have a celebrity-inspired theme in mind, Caroline and her co-owner Judith Warren are always ready to help a bride and groom achieve the look they want for their ceremony. One of Caroline’s favorite recent weddings took on a more laid-back, boho chic vibe, while others have opted for a more formal elegance. No matter what your style is, the team at Vecoma is excited to help you make it happen.

Vecoma isn’t just a favorite for Gwinnett residents, either. They have been named “Best of Weddings” from The Knot and given the Couple Choice Award from Wedding Wire for several years running. And while weddings are certainly their specialty, Vecoma at October 2022 Our Town Gwinnett the Yellow River opens its doors to all sorts of gatherings, whether you need to host a business meeting or arrange a celebration of life ceremony.

So what are you waiting for? Run, do not walk, to your phone and set up your wedding or event today. Whether you are hoping to get married in a winter wonderland or among your favorite summer flowers, Vecoma at the Yellow River is always ready and waiting for you, just as it has been for twenty-five years.

More information at https://vecoma1.com