Pain in the Drain | Medicine Disposal Program
The Clark County Water Reclamation District, in conjunction with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, the City of Henderson Police Department and the Boulder City Police Department, present the "Medicine Disposal Program". This program provides an opportunity for residents to safely and anonymously dispose of any unused, expired prescriptions or over-the-counter medications. Drop-off boxes are located inside local Police Department substations, providing a secure method for disposal.
Click here to find a drop-off location near you!
If you are unable to get to one of the drop off locations, or if you have a small amount of medicine to dispose of, placing outdated or unneeded medications in the garbage is the best way to get rid of them. When throwing away medications, follow these steps:
| Step 1: Remove your personal information from the prescription container. |
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| Step 2: Add water and absorbent material, such as cat litter, sawdust, dirt, salt, or flour, to bottles of pills before recapping to discourage unintended use. |
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| Step 3: Tape the lid shut. |
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| Step 4: Put the medicine container in another container, such as an empty margarine tub. |
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| Step 5: Double enclose the container in a bag or other waste container to prevent identification of the drug, or to prevent a glass container from breaking. |
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| Step 6: Place in the trash. |
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Why Flushing is a Bad Idea
When you flush medication down your drain, it ends up at one of our treatment facilities. These ingredients can remain in the treated water when it is released into the water cycle.
When prescription or over-the-counter drugs are flushed down the sink or toilet, their chemical components may be added to the water supply. The presence of these substances in the environment is emerging as an important national and international issue. Although the concentration levels of these products in the environment is very low, research and monitoring are continuing worldwide.
Putting medications down the drain is not just a local concern. Increasingly, prescription and non-prescription medications, many of which are not effectively destroyed by sewage treatment plants, are finding their way into streams and drinking water supplies. A study conducted by the United States Geological Survey found that 80 percent of the 139 streams sampled across 30 states detected very low concentrations of chemicals commonly found in prescription drugs. While the concentration levels of these products are very low, they may be enough to cause adverse effects in the environment and to human health. More information can be found at the following links:
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm101653.htm
http://www.epa.gov/ppcp/
http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/pdf/prescrip_disposal.pdf