Pharmaceutical Disposal & FAQ's
FAQ on Pharmaceuticals
*Written by Nicki Pozos, PHD, PE, CWRE
Does our wastewater treatment plant remove pharmaceuticals and personal care products?
Every day the average adult uses nine personal care products (like shampoo and sunscreen), as well as prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Many of the products we use end up in the City’s wastewater system. Wastewater treatment plants are not designed to remove personal care products and pharmaceuticals. While some products are almost completely eliminated by wastewater treatment plants, others are not affected at all.
Because scientists are using more advanced technology that can detect very tiny amounts of these products in water, very low levels of pharmaceuticals and personal care products are being detected at wastewater treatment plants and in streams. There is no evidence these trace amounts post a risk to human health, but scientists have sometimes found impacts on aquatic organisms and there is on-going international research to better understand potential impacts. Currently, there are no regulations for pharmaceuticals or personal care products in wastewater in the U.S.
The best approach to reducing the number of pharmaceuticals in the environment is to reduce the amount entering our wastewater. Everyone can do their part by using only what we need and making sure unused medications are not flushed down the toilet. Unused medications can be disposed of through drug take back programs or disposed of at home through a four-step process developed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA):
Mix medicines (do not crush tablets or capsules) with an unpalatable substance such as dirt, kitty litter, or used coffee grounds;
- Place the mixture in a container such as a sealed plastic bag;
- Throw the container in your household trash;
- Scratch out all personal information on the prescription label of your empty pill bottle or empty medicine packaging to make it unreadable, then dispose of the container.
More information on disposal of unwanted medications, including a list of designated collection sites, is available on the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality site at http://www.oregon.gov/deq/Hazards-and-Cleanup/hw/Pages/Pharmaceuticals.aspx
Did you know??
There is a pharmaceutical disposal facility in City Hall for public use. The disposal is located at the Molalla Police Department. Please bring your items directly to the Police Department, do NOT hand deliver to officers!
We do not accept:
- Needles
- Inhalers
- Blood
This is not for businesses or large quantities, but for home use prescription medicines only.
