The Western Lake Superior Sanitary District (WLSSD) will host a free collection event for unwanted or expired medications at its regional Household Hazardous Waste Facility ofrom 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 9. "Medicine Cabinet Clean-Out Day" is a one-day event offering residents free disposal of unwanted medications in a safe, convenient and environmentally sound manner. Due to US drug laws, medication can only be accepted at these specially-staffed events.
"Medications that are flushed down the drain can end up in our lakes and rivers," said Sarah Lerohl, WLSSD Environmental Program Coordinator. "This free event offers people a safe and easy solution to the problem of disposing of unwanted medication, including medicines for pets. Some types of commonly prescribed medicines for people are also used for veterinary purposes, but they may be stored outside of the typical medicine cabinet. It's important to remember to clean out these alternate storage spots so that all medicines are disposed of properly." Residents may bring their own, a family member's, or a pet's unwanted or expired medication to the drive-through area at the Household Hazardous Waste facility for free and confidential disposal. The facility is located at 2626 Courtland Street in Duluth.
Lerohl recommends that residents attending the event:
Bring prescription or over-the-counter medication in its original container with all information about the medication visible to assist with sorting. Names and addresses may be covered or scratched out.
Keep medications out of reach of children while waiting for and transporting material to the event.
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Keep needles or other medical sharps separate and packaged in rigid containers such as laundry detergent or soda bottles for safe disposal.
Residents who are unable to attend this event may dispose of unwanted medications in the garbage after properly preparing the medication per Minnesota Pollution Control Agency recommendations. These recommendations can be found at http://www.pca.state.mn.us/oea/hhw/pharmaceuticals.cfm .
More information is available on WLSSD's website at www.wlssd.com/pollution_pharmaceutical.php
Proper disposal of unwanted medication is a community effort. The St. Louis County Sheriff's Department will provide law enforcement staff at the event to comply with U.S. drug laws, while pharmacists from SMDC and St. Luke's will aid in the sorting and identifying the collected medication.
Western Lake Superior Sanitary District provides award-winning wastewater and solid waste services to residents, businesses and industries within its 530 square mile legislative boundaries in Southern St. Louis and northern Carlton counties, and is a nationally recognized leader in pollution prevention.
