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Dear Eartha,
I went to the 9Health Fair last month and saw a prescription drop-off box. Do I really need to seek these out? Can’t I just flush my old medications?
— Gary, Silverthorne
It was a great event, and it just so happened to
fall on the same weekend as National Prescription Take Back Day. Twice each
year, the Drug Enforcement Administration hosts a national push to help
residents properly dispose of unused mediations. The good news? Here in Summit
County, you can drop off unused medications at any time of the year.
Residents can take their pick of three drug drop-off
locations. Secure collection bins are located at the Summit County Justice
Center in Breckenridge, the Dillon Police Department and Prescription
Alternatives in Frisco. Bring your unused, unwanted or expired medications —
including prescription and over-the-counter drugs — and drop them off for free.
Yep, it’s that easy.
With several convenient drop-off options, I
recommend getting those unused meds out of the house as quickly as possible.
And to answer your original question: Don’t flush medications, ever. Let’s dig
a little deeper on why.
Not good for family
Drugs that sit unused in home medicine cabinets
are highly susceptible to misuse and abuse. Easy availability of drugs also can
lead to accidental poisoning.
Here in Colorado, the Consortium for Prescription
Drug Abuse Prevention found that 29% of residents have used pain medication
prescribed for someone else. And according to the 2017 Healthy Kids Colorado
Survey, 26% of Summit High School students think it’s easy to get prescription
drugs without a prescription. It’s frightening, especially as the opioid
epidemic shows no signs of slowing.
Some folks might be thinking, “What about the meds
I actually need?” My advice is to be part of the solution. That means talking
to your doctor and using your prescription as it’s intended to treat your
condition. Make sure you store medications in a safe, ideally locked, location.
Keep them secure and out of sight from children, teens, visitors and pets. And
of course, get rid of those unused or expired medications as soon as possible but
never down the drain or toilet.
Not good for the environment
If you flush medications here in Summit County,
they most likely pass through a wastewater treatment plant or, in some cases, a
septic system. While treatment facilities effectively remove many drugs and
contaminates, they don’t get rid of everything. What’s more, the Environmental
Protection Agency doesn’t have testing guidelines for pharmaceuticals in
drinking water.
This means that flushed drugs end up in drinking
water, fish and other aquatic life. In fact, the U.S. Geological Survey tested more
than 130 streams, and 80% contained detectable amounts of prescription drugs.
There’s little clarity on what small amounts of prescription drugs in drinking
water does to human health. It is affecting aquatic life, however.
So what’s the problem with a few dosed up fish? A
lot, actually. Like humans, fish become more relaxed on antidepressants. And
that means they’re less motivated to escape from predators. Some scientists
worry this could cause a decline or crash in certain fish populations and
create a domino effect for entire freshwater ecosystems.
Even low concentrations of hormones from flushed
birth control pills can cause genetic imbalances in fish, making it harder for
them to catch food or reproduce. Again, there’s concern of a domino effect on
the larger ecosystem.
Find a local drop-off box
We’re lucky in Summit County to have several
options for getting rid of old medications the right way. And it’s all thanks
to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, the Summit County
Water Quality Committee and the Summit County Sheriff’s Office. Make sure to visit highcountryconservation.org for a complete list of what’s accepted at local drop-off boxes.
As you make room this holiday season for visiting
family, friends and new toys, don’t forget to clear out those old and unused
medications.
Summit County Justice Center
501 N. Park Ave., Breckenridge
8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays
Dillon Police Department
275 Lake Dillon Drive, Dillon
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays
Prescription Alternatives
610 Main St., Frisco
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays
Ask Eartha Steward is written by the staff at the High Country Conservation Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to waste reduction and resource conservation. Submit questions to Eartha at info@highcountryconservation.org.