Waste Management and Stewardship

Thomas J. Lauro, P.E.Commissioner, Department of Environmental Facilities

Susan GerrySenior Assistant to the County Executive

2008 Watershed Science & Technical Conference

Panel Discussion – Emerging Contaminants

West Point, NY

September 16, 2008

Take Back Programs

• In addition to keeping contaminants out of our source water, these programs help prevent– Poisonings– Drug Abuse– Use of Out of Date Medications

Types of Take Back Programs

• Finite Events (1 day, 1 week, 6/year...)

• Continuous Programs

• Mailers

• Stewardship Programs

Finite Programs• Allen County, IN

– 2 Events per Year– Collection @ Police Station and Senior Center

• Chicago, IL – One Day– 25 Locations– Collection at Senior Centers, Hospitals, Police

Stations– Collected 1,600 Lbs

Finite Programs• Bay Area, CA - One Week

– Collection at Pharmacies, City Hall and Senior Centers

– ~$24.77 per Lb

• Westchester County – 9 Events per Year– Collections @ HRD Days– ~ $13 per Lb

• Alachua, FL – 5 Month Program– 12 Locations, pharmacies, Clinics, County– ~ $53 per Lb

Continuous• Clark County, WA – 12 Year Old Program

– 3 Permanent Hazardous Waste Facilities and Pharmacies

– No Controlled Substances

• King County, WA– 27 Locations, Pharmacies, Nursing Homes– ~ $5.60 per Lb

Continuous

• Kendall County, IL– All substances collected at Police Stations

• LaCrosse, WI– All substances collected at a permanent

Hazardous Waste Facility– ~ $12,000 - $15,000 per year

Mailers

• Maine– DEA formulated legislation– Consumers use prepaid mailers to send

unwanted meds to DEA– Mailers are available at pharmacies, doctors

offices and post offices– No funding available, program not yet

implemented

Stewardship

• Australia - RUM– Return Unwanted Meds– Meds collected at pharmacies since 1998– 5,000 pharmacies participate– Commonwealth sponsors all costs– Annual cost $751,000 or ~ $1.47 per Lb– Pharmaceutical wholesalers discount disposal

costs

Stewardship

• Canada – MRP– Med Return Program– Post Residual Stewardship Regulations 1996– Residual Management Group– Funded by Brand Owners– 856 pharmacies participate– Annual cost $170,500 or ~ $3.25 per Lb

Take Back the Meds Program

• Westchester County enlisted available assistance and expertise;– NYSDEC– NYSDOH– Westchester Rockland Society of Pharmacists– RESCO

Household Recycling Days

• Public bring medications in original packaging

• People don’t have to leave cars

• Volunteer Pharmacists and County Chemists Identify and inventory medications

• Under control and observation of County Law Enforcement

Household Recycling Day 9-13-08

Logging Medications

• Volunteer Pharmacist

• County Chemist

• County Police

Medication Disposal

• Westchester County collaborated with Wheelabrator, Inc for incineration.

• Incineration takes place at the County owned Waste to Energy plant operated by Wheelabrator.

• Drugs confiscated by County law enforcement were already being incinerated there.

What and How Much is Being Collected?

3/28/2008

1728170

3.20%

61.57%

31.32%

1.42%

2.49%

15.66%84.70%

TOTAL GALLONS COLLECTED

George's Island - Montrose

PORTION THAT IS PRESCRIPTION

PORTION THAT IS OVER THE COUNTER

TOTAL NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDSTOTAL CONTAINERS/MEDICINE COLLECTED

PORTION OF TOTAL THAT IS IN PILL/SOLID FORM

PORTION THAT IS DEA CONTROLLED

PORTION THAT IS UNKNOWN

PORTION OF TOTAL THAT IS IN LIQUID, GEL, OR

PORTION THAT IS VET PRESCRIPTION

What is Being Collected?

Zip Medication #PillsTotalw/v

DEA RX OTCVet Rx

Unkn

10801 Ibuprofen 200 mg 422 x10801 Acetaminophen 325 mg 120 x10566 Percodan 200 mg 12 x10566 Tylenol w/codeine 300 mg 3 x10566 Thyro tab 0.6 mg 120 x10566 Thyro tab 0.4 mg 120 x10520 Zoloft 50 mg 23.9 g x

Montrose 3/28/08

Montrose 3/28/08 by % and (#)

61.57%

31.32%

1.42%2.49%

3.20%

DEA Rx OTC VET Rx Unknown

(7)

(4)

(88)

(9)

(173)

YTD Total Containers by CategoryYTD 1285 Lbs

1843

949

6719 264

DEA Rx OTC VET Rx Unknown

YTD Percentage by Category YTD 1285 Lbs

58.66%

30.20%

2.13%0.60% 8.40%

DEA Rx OTC VET Rx Unknown

Stewardship“Where do we go from here?”

• Expanded Public Education

• Expand Take Back Programs eg. Canada and Australia– Utilize the “you sell it, you take it back” concept– require participation by the pharmaceutical

industry

• Require compliance through State or Federal legislation

Resources

• Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant Web page• www.iisgcp.org/unwantedmeds/index.htm

• NYSDEC Link• www.dontflushyourdrugs.net

Questions?

Thomas J. Lauro, P.E.

tjl1@westchestergov.com

Susan Gerry

sfg1@westchestergov.com