Program prevents improper disposal of drugs
KEEPING DRUGS OFF THE STREETS and out of water supplies is an ongoing goal of several local agencies. In February, the Presque Isle Police Department was the site of a sorting project, with officials from ACAP’s Healthy Aroostook program, the DEP, City Drug Store, the PIPD and Caribou Police Department working together to separate and properly dispose of unwanted and unused medications. The boxes pictured represent a small portion of the narcotics and controlled substances destined to be destroyed following the event. In back separating over-the-counter and non-controlled substances from their containers are, from left: Carol Bell, of ACAP’s Healthy Aroostook program; Stacy Boucher, state of Maine Office of Local Public Health; and Nick Archer, DEP regional director.
By Kathy McCarty
Hundreds of prescription and over-the-counter medications were recently sorted at the Presque Isle Police Department, in an ongoing effort to keep unwanted and unused medications from getting into local landfills and water supplies, as well as preventing them from falling into the wrong hands.
Several organizations gathered at the PIPD Feb. 26 to sort a variety of medicines that were collected throughout Aroostook County over the past three or four months. Agencies represented included the DEP, ACAP’s Healthy Aroostook program, the Presque Isle and Caribou police departments and City Drug Store of Presque Isle.
“Our concern is to collect these unwanted drugs to enhance public health and safety by keeping the drugs off the streets and disposing of them in a manner that prevents contaminating our environment,” said Nick Archer, DEP’s regional director.
Those present spent the better part of the day separating packaging from over-the-counter and non-narcotic pharmaceuticals. Pharmacist John Hebert, of City Drug Store, was on hand to assist in classifying medications, with non-narcotics and liquids being set aside for pickup by an agency that disposes of such products, while narcotic drugs were separated for disposal by law enforcement officials.
Carol Bell, of Healthy Aroostook, was one of several individuals involved in the process. She said more and more people are bringing their unwanted medications in for proper disposal.
“They can either drop off items with their local police department or contact one of our agencies for pickup. They’re (police) working closely with us to keep unwanted medications out of landfills,” said Bell.
Archer said the goal is to do such collections and sorting about every three months. He stressed the importance of having all the agencies working together.
“We couldn’t do this without a pharmacist volunteer,” said Archer.
Hebert said the medications come in all forms and in all kinds of packaging.
“We see a lot of hospice packs and controlled substances. We get some in sandwich bags, all mixed together. I try to ID all medications,” said Hebert.
While most of the medications are dropped off in their original containers, bearing labels of the patients they were prescribed to, Hebert said all names are confidential.
“No one has access to the names. Containers and their contents will be disposed of properly,” he said.
Hebert said a wide variety of pills and liquids are turned in by the public.
“There’s quite a cross section of what’s dispensed in a pharmacy and what hospitals use,” said Hebert. “We’re just glad they turn them in. In turn, we respect their privacy.”
The program has collected hundreds of pounds of pharmaceuticals over the last couple years, but Archer said this collection was the best to date.
“Past events collected just over 400 lbs. each. With this latest round, we’ve collected three times as much as in the past year, over the same period of time,” said Archer, who credited awareness of the dangers of improperly disposing of unwanted medications and the fact “people really care.”
The last drug collection effort DEP assisted in was held in November in mid-coast Maine and resulted in filling eleven 55 gallon drums with unused pharmaceuticals, including more than 21,000 doses of narcotics.
Chief Mike Gahagan, of CPD, kept busy, helping sort the trash bags and boxes full of medicine.
“There’s quite a collection here. Some items are outdated, some were unused or unwanted. Whatever the reason, this is the proper way to dispose of them,” said Gahagan.
Chief Naldo Gagnon, PIPD, said one of the most frequently asked questions is what type of drugs are accepted.
“We accept both over-the-counter and prescriptions — pills and liquid,” he said.
Gagnon said while all medications are accepted, law enforcement is particularly focused on collecting controlled substances.
“Police are truly interested in narcotics, controlled substances. When people turn in unwanted and unused medications, they’re helping reduce the risk of crimes,” said Gagnon, noting a rise in burglaries involving drug thefts and the increased illegal use of drugs in society today and how the public can help curtail such activity by properly disposing of such materials.
Archer said in the past, when prescription drugs were no longer needed, they were typically thrown in the trash, stashed in medicine cabinets — thus increasing the potential of accidental poisoning — or flushed down the toilet, only to travel through wastewater treatment facilities essentially untreated.
“The DEP recently received results of tests conducted on leachate from three landfills in Maine. Those results show that pharmaceutical drugs disposed of in household waste do end up in the liquid that drains or ‘leaches’ from a landfill, which then runs the risk of contaminating ground water and surface water supplies,” said Archer.
Leachate is typically sent from landfills to a wastewater treatment plant where pharmaceuticals may pass through virtually untreated and go directly in the river. While some contaminants can be filtered, the cost for treatment plants to filter for all possible chemical threats, such as pharmaceuticals, would be astronomical, according to Archer.
Unwanted medications are not only a threat to the environment but a safety concern as well, said Archer.
“Unused pharmaceuticals are also the target of drug-related crimes. Maine is ranked number one per capita in the country for prescription drug-related crime. In 2008, Maine had 168 drug-related deaths. Of those, 92 percent were caused by accidental or intentional abuse of prescription drugs, according to the Maine Department of Public Safety,” Archer said.
Once the sorting was completed, Gagnon showed a large garbage can filled with pills and liquids that had been separated from their containers for disposal, as well as about a half dozen boxes — stacked in two piles, one about four feet high, the other about two feet high — packed solid with varying controlled substances destined to be destroyed.
“This is what’s been sorted. Folks are already starting to drop more off. It looks like we may be in line to do another sorting project in three or four months,” said Gagnon. “Police departments all over Aroostook — Houlton to Fort Kent — collect the unwanted medications. Then they send them here to the PIPD where we sort them periodically and dispose of them accordingly.”
For more information, contact Bell at 768-3056, ext. 629; Archer at 764-4077; the PIPD at 764-4476 or your local police department.
PROPER DRUG DISPOSAL — Nick Archer, DEP regional director, pours unwanted pills into a can destined to be picked up by a company that specializes in destroying discarded medications.
SORTING AND SEPARATING hundreds of containers of unwanted and unused medications was the goal for these individuals during a recent event at Presque Isle’s Public Safety Building, as part of an ongoing effort to keep pharmaceuticals from getting into water supplies and reduce criminal drug-related activity. Pictured, from left: Stacy Boucher, state of Maine Office of Local Public Health; Carol Bell, of ACAP’s Healthy Aroostook program; Nick Archer, DEP regional director; Rebecca Bowmaster, Power of Prevention; John Hebert, pharmacist, Star City Drug; Chief Naldo Gagnon, PIPD; and Chief Mike Gahagan, CPD.
