'Get The Meds Out' Program Starts This Spring

A new program that offers a convenient way to dispose of unwanted medications and helps reduce harmful environmental impacts is scheduled to kick off this spring in 36 Wisconsin counties - including Ashland, Bayfield, Douglas and Iron counties.

The University of Wisconsin-Extension received a federal grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to create “Get the Meds Out”– a project designed to educate people on safe disposal of prescription drugs and to keep unused medications from ending up in the Great Lakes.

Research has shown that prescription medications flushed down the toilet or the drain can end up in the state’s water supply, harming both water and soil, notes UW-Extension’s waste reduction specialist, Steve Brachman.

“We chose to operate the ‘Get the Meds Out’ program in Wisconsin counties with waters that drain into the Great Lakes to reduce the amount of pharmaceutical waste that ends up in the watershed,” says Brachman.

Because the program makes it easier for people to get rid of unwanted medications, it may also reduce prescription drug abuse. “It’s important that people remove unwanted medicines from their homes—especially those that can be addictive or harmful,” notes Melissa Boehm, pharmaceutical waste project coordinator for UW-Extension.

The “Get the Meds Out” program works in partnership with local pharmacies, county health departments and senior citizen centers to let people simply mail in their unwanted medications for disposal. “Get the Meds Out” provides mail-back envelopes and other educational materials to participating facilities and pharmacies.

Customers are asked if they want the free envelopes to safely dispose of unused or expired medications. The filled envelopes are then mailed to a facility in Maine, where they are sorted and processed. Maine’s “Safe Medicine Disposal for ME” program serves as the model for the Wisconsin project, since it is the only one in the nation with U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency approval allowing for return of controlled substances by mail.

People using the envelopes are also asked to complete a short survey giving their opinions and attitudes about disposal of unwanted medicines to provide researchers with more information on effective ways to develop safe drug disposal programs.

“We hope this initiative will augment the already successful one-day collections and permanent police station drop-boxes in a number of Wisconsin counties,” says Boehm. “And, if successful, it may serve as a national model for product stewardship of unused medicines.”

To learn more about this program or to participate, go to http://fyi.uwex.edu/pharma/ for updates.