IISG’s Unwanted Meds program assists DEA’s nationwide drug take-back event

Posted October 2nd, 2012 in Great Lakes Cleanup
Thousands of residents in Illinois and Indiana came out last Saturday with the goal of ridding their homes of unwanted pharmaceuticals as part of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) 5th annual National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. police officers and volunteers in more than 200 locations in Illinois and 70 in Indiana collected bottles, boxes, and sometimes even garbage bags full of prescription and over-the-counter human and veterinary medications. Everything collected will be properly incinerated by the DEA.
  
IISG staffers were at two of these locations at Walgreens stores in Champaign and Urbana, joining local police officers and Walgreens representatives to collect medication, answer questions about the environmental effects of throwing away or flushing pharmaceuticals, and provide information on how to safely dispose of medications when collection events are not available.
 
At both locations, people began lining up to hand over their medicine even before the event began. IISG volunteers heard from several people that they had been saving medications in anticipation of Saturday’s event. Take-back event regulars brought medications accumulated just since April’s DEA-sponsored event, but some brought pharmaceuticals with much older time stamps. One woman disposed of medicine she had been storing in her cabinet since 2005, and another brought in medication that was almost 20 years old. Exact figures on how many pounds of pharmaceuticals were collected during the 4-hour event won’t be announced by the DEA for several weeks, but police officers involved in the event described the day as on track to exceed previous take-back events.
 


Single-day collection events like this are an important way to limit negative impacts to wildlife and local waterways from prescriptions and medications that are improperly disposed of. A wide-range of pharmaceutical chemicals has been found in rivers, groundwater, and drinking water throughout the country due to medications being flushed down the toilet or thrown in the trash. The impact of these chemicals on long-term human health is still unknown, but a connection between pharmaceutical-contaminated waters and impaired development, behavior, and reproduction has been found in many species of fish and other aquatic wildlife.

 
Ridding homes of unused medication can also help protect the elderly, children, and pets from accidental poisonings and reduce instances of prescription or over-the-counter drug abuse.
 

IISG has been educating people on pharmaceutical stewardship issues and helping communities establish safe and legal permanent medicine collection programs for more than six years. For additional information on how to dispose of medicine between take-back events or in areas where collections are not available, visit www.unwantedmeds.org.    

IISG Instagram

🌊 Making Waves in Education

Calling all K–12 educators — formal and non-formal! Stay connected to the Great Lakes and inspired in your teaching with our educator-focused newsletter.

📬 Why Subscribe?
✅ Discover teaching resources and professional development opportunities
✅ Connect with Sea Grant partners and community efforts
✅ Bring Great Lakes science and stewardship into your classroom or program

🗓️ Published quarterly — with occasional bonus issues when exciting events or new content arise!

💡 Whether you’re in a classroom, nature center, or museum, this newsletter helps you make waves in education.

👉 Sign up now: https://iiseagrant.org/education/subscribe-to-education-newsletter/

#TeachingTuesday
#GreatLakesEducation

15 0
Open post by ilinseagrant with ID 17970474224778067
🌊 Making Waves in Education Calling all K–12 educators — formal and non-formal! Stay connected to the Great Lakes and inspired in your teaching with our educator-focused newsletter.📬 Why Subscribe?✅ Discover teaching resources and professional development opportunities ✅ Connect with Sea Grant partners and community efforts✅ Bring Great Lakes science and stewardship into your classroom or program🗓️ Published quarterly — with occasional bonus issues when exciting events or new content arise!💡 Whether you’re in a classroom, nature center, or museum, this newsletter helps you make waves in education.👉 Sign up now: https://iiseagrant.org/education/subscribe-to-education-newsletter/ #TeachingTuesday#GreatLakesEducation

When participating in a crayfish participatory science activity, be sure to snap plenty of photos of any crayfish you catch or observe. Not only is it a great way to capture the fun and excitement of the day, but it also helps document the species present. To ensure accurate identification by scientists, it’s important to provide clear photos from multiple angles. Dorsal (top), lateral (side), and ventral (underside) views of the crayfish should always be photographed.

To learn more about the specific features to highlight in your photos visit the link in bio or
InvasiveCrayfish.org/Management/#Community

15 0
Open post by ilinseagrant with ID 18519504694041949
When participating in a crayfish participatory science activity, be sure to snap plenty of photos of any crayfish you catch or observe. Not only is it a great way to capture the fun and excitement of the day, but it also helps document the species present. To ensure accurate identification by scientists, it’s important to provide clear photos from multiple angles. Dorsal (top), lateral (side), and ventral (underside) views of the crayfish should always be photographed.To learn more about the specific features to highlight in your photos visit the link in bio or InvasiveCrayfish.org/Management/#Community

Who says “Back to School” means back indoors? While the weather is still warm, take your students on an outdoor science adventure by exploring crayfish in your local waterways.

The Invasive Crayfish Collaborative invites grades 2-12 educators to take part in a hands-on participatory science activity. By catching, identifying, and reporting crayfish species in your area, students contribute valuable data that helps scientists better understand where native and invasive crayfish live.

Check out what other educators have found and get involved: inaturalist.org/projects/great-lakes-crayfish

8 0
Open post by ilinseagrant with ID 17949007619874652
Who says “Back to School” means back indoors? While the weather is still warm, take your students on an outdoor science adventure by exploring crayfish in your local waterways.The Invasive Crayfish Collaborative invites grades 2-12 educators to take part in a hands-on participatory science activity. By catching, identifying, and reporting crayfish species in your area, students contribute valuable data that helps scientists better understand where native and invasive crayfish live.Check out what other educators have found and get involved: inaturalist.org/projects/great-lakes-crayfish
Skip to content