The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago in participating in the National
Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, September 27, 2014.
In the past, the public was encouraged to dispose of unwanted or expired drugs by flushing them down the toilet, but we now realize that these contaminants can end up in our streams, lakes and ground water. Despite the fact that we have state of the art waste water treatment facilities, these plants are not designed to deal with pharmaceutical waste. By using advanced technical equipment, scientists have found very small traces of pharmaceutical compounds in groundwater, streams, waste water and drinking water. Proper disposal of unwanted or expired medicine is good for the environment.
In addition to the environmental benefits, proper disposal of unwanted drugs is important in order to insure that the drugs are not used improperly or illegally. Unused prescription drugs thrown in the trash can be retrieved and lead to accidental poisoning, overdose and abuse.
The drug collection will take place at the Main Gate House of the following Water Reclamation Plants (WRP) on Saturday, September 27, 2014 from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.:
• O'Brien WRP- 3500 Howard St., Skokie
• Stickney WRP - 6001 W . Pershing Rd ., Cicero
• Calumet WRP- 400 E. 130th Street, Chicago