The Monroe County Department of Environmental Services and Wegmans, in a partnership to expand the county’s pharmaceutical collection program, will hold a free pharmaceutical waste collection from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15 at the Penfield Wegmans, 2157 Penfield Road.
County Executive Maggie Brooks made the announcement Monday.
“These pharmaceutical collections give Monroe County residents a chance to safely discard unused or expired prescription and over-the-counter medications,” said Brooks. “These drop-offs also show how the county and its partners are working together in a secure and environmentally friendly manner as we keep potentially harmful pharmaceuticals out of our landfills and water supply.”
According to Brooks, recent national studies show pharmaceuticals that are flushed down the drain can harm the soil or water supply. While water provided by the Monroe County Water Authority has been shown to be free of these contaminants, residents are encouraged to properly dispose of medications, she said.
Brooks added that storing unwanted or expired drugs in homes may increase the risk of accidental poisoning, mainly to children, and medicines thrown in the trash can be taken by anyone and later sold in the street and used.
No appointments are needed for the collection, but residents are asked to black out any personal information on their prescription containers except for the medication name and dosage. All collected medications will be destroyed by an incineration process administered by county sheriff’s deputies.
“We hope that this event will raise awareness among our customers that you should not simply throw away or flush medicines,” said Wegmans pharmacist Rosanna Carbone. “The safest option is to bring them to a pharmaceutical collection program where they can be properly destroyed.”
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