New website provides guidance on properly disposing of unwanted medicines

Posted April 2nd, 2012 in Healthy Waters, News

 

What happens to prescription or over-the-counter medicines that are brought home, but for one reason or another, never get used? Medicines that are flushed or tossed in the trash can end up in lakes, rivers, and even in our drinking water, posing a risk to people, animals, and the environment.
       
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and University of Illinois Extension have developed a new website, www.unwantedmeds.org,to encourage people to properly dispose of their expired or unneeded medicines.
 
“This site helps you find a local medicine collection program, provides tips on how to dispose of medicine if there isn’t a collection program nearby, guides communities on how to start a new collection program, and explains why flushing medications down the sink or toilet can be bad for people and the environment,” said Laura Kammin, IISG pollution prevention specialist.
 
Medicine disposal has come to be an emerging concern in recent years because numerous studies have shown significant traces of pharmaceuticals in U.S. waterways and in drinking water. The long term effects are not known, but scientists have documented impacts to aquatic wildlife.
 
“The advice used to be to flush unwanted medicines, but it’s clear that flushing medicines or throwing them in the trash contributes to the problem,” said Laura Kammin, IISG pollution prevention specialist.
 
Right now the best solution is to find a medicine collection program in your area. IISG works with communities to develop local medicine collection programs, some of which are ongoing and some are one-day events. Through workshops and the IISG toolkit, the program provides information and support so that these efforts are safe and successful.
 
In addition to information on collection programs, www.unwantedmeds.org provides resources for teachers and other educators who want to engage students on this topic, including curricula and examples of service-learning projects.
 
Contact IISG Pollution Prevention Specialist Laura Kammin for more information on the program, and visit the new website to help protect people, pets, and the environment from expired and unwanted medications.

IISG Instagram

Explore the history, impact, and educational power of Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs).

eeLEARN: MWEE 101 is a free, self-paced online course that walks you through the MWEE framework with examples, planning tools, and downloadable resources that you can use immediately.

Start learning today at the link in bio.

10 0
Open post by ilinseagrant with ID 18242530168306858
Explore the history, impact, and educational power of Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs).eeLEARN: MWEE 101 is a free, self-paced online course that walks you through the MWEE framework with examples, planning tools, and downloadable resources that you can use immediately.Start learning today at the link in bio.

Some partnerships just make sense. Happy Valentine’s Day from IISG! 💕

10 0
Open post by ilinseagrant with ID 18003364196847976
Some partnerships just make sense. Happy Valentine’s Day from IISG! 💕

This February marks a major milestone: 30 years of aquatic invasive species outreach by our team! To celebrate, IISG Director, Stuart Carlton, and Strategic Communication Coordinator, Renie Miles, sat down for a Sea Grant Chat with two key figures in IISG’s AIS history: Pat Charlebois, our assistant director and program leader, who spent over two decades leading our prevention efforts, and Katie O’Reilly, who took over that role in 2022. We discussed the evolution of the invasive species issue in the Great Lakes, the shift toward understanding human behavior, and the creative strategies that make this team so effective.

Dive into the full interview at the link in bio.

15 0
Open post by ilinseagrant with ID 18053780390453750
This February marks a major milestone: 30 years of aquatic invasive species outreach by our team! To celebrate, IISG Director, Stuart Carlton, and Strategic Communication Coordinator, Renie Miles, sat down for a Sea Grant Chat with two key figures in IISG’s AIS history: Pat Charlebois, our assistant director and program leader, who spent over two decades leading our prevention efforts, and Katie O’Reilly, who took over that role in 2022. We discussed the evolution of the invasive species issue in the Great Lakes, the shift toward understanding human behavior, and the creative strategies that make this team so effective. Dive into the full interview at the link in bio.