New drug disposal program a success

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers EASY TO USE—Camarillo Police Sgt. Craig Adford stands beside the new prescription drug drop-off box in the Camarillo Police Station's lobby. The bin provides a place for local residents to dispose of expired or unneeded prescription drugs, which cannot be thrown in the trash or put down the drain. Most people may know never throw prescription medication in the trash or flush it down the toilet because it will affect the environment and wildlife.

But children and the elderly, who may confuse one bottle with another, could be accidentally poisoned if they ingest expired or unused medication left in the home.

Now, to properly dispose of unwanted medication, Camarillo residents can take it to the police department.

In a joint effort between the city of Camarillo and its sheriff-run police department, residents can dispose of prescription drugs in a specially marked white bin about the height of a corner mail box that stands in the police station lobby.

The program began Oct. 22, and in the first day, 4½ pounds of prescription medication was collected. Within the first 10 days of the program, 84 pounds had been brought in, said Sgt. Craig Adford, who's managing the program for the department.

"So far it's exceeding our expectations," Adford said. "We've been so successful in such a short period of time (that) our crime lab is running out of space."

Adford said one man who dropped off 31 pounds of prescription pills told him he'd saved them for 11 years because he didn't know what to do with them.

It was "a little scary" that someone would have that much prescription medication in the house, Adford said, but it emphasized the need for this type of residential disposal program.

"This is a great, great vehicle for them to dispose of their pharmaceuticals," Adford said.

Roger Pichardo, who coordinates the city's recycling programs, said high volume is typical at the start of any recycling program because many people hang on to items until they know what to do with them. He said he expects that over time the program will have a lower but steady influx of pharmaceuticals.

The city program is free and open to residents to dispose of prescription drugs only. Overthecounter medication, syringes and other medical paraphernalia are not accepted, and the program is not available to members of the medical profession, who are subject to different laws and regulations.

The program has cost the city about $1,200—the price of the bin and custom-made decals. The police department absorbs the cost of disposal.

The city alerted residents to the new program last month through newspaper ads and newsletters published by the city and the recreation and park district.

Mayor Charlotte Craven suggested the idea in July after hearing about a statewide campaign called No Drugs Down the Drain.

A coalition of regional, state and federal agencies developed the program, which ran Oct. 4 to 11, to educate the public on disposal alternatives for unwanted medications.

According to the group's website, very small amounts of medication—including acetaminophen, steroids, hormones, codeine and antibiotics—have been found in U.S. streams, rivers and lakes, entering the water through a variety of sources, including wastewater treatment plants.

While the risk to humans and the environment is still being determined, a 2007 law directed the California Integrated Waste Management Board to come up with a long-term solution to the disposal of surplus household pharmaceuticals.

Assistant City Manager Bruce Feng said the program not only helps the environment and limits the exposure of children and seniors to accidental drug dosage, it helps keep sanitation rates down.

Wastewater treatment plants remove and reduce some pharmaceuticals, but they don't treat for every possible prescription drug on the market. Adding treatment would increase utility rates, he said.

"This is a fantastic program that crosses a multitude of regulatory agency concerns," Feng said.

The police department's participation in the program is necessary because federal regulations prohibit anyone except law enforcement from collecting controlled substances, many of which are prescription drugs.

The department secures the pharmaceuticals as it would drug evidence in a criminal case, Adford said. At least once a day, two police department employees empty the white bin, weigh its contents, place the drugs in boxes marked for destruction and take them to the evidence room.

Eventually, the medications, along with illegal drugs no longer needed in criminal cases, are taken by police escort to a regulated facility at an undisclosed location for incineration.

"We treat this very carefully . . . like the narcotics that they are," Adford said.

Adford said the Las Posas Road police station is the only pharmaceutical disposal site in Ventura County that he's aware of, adding the sheriff's department wants to have disposal bins at its offices and police departments throughout the county.

To learn how to dispose of other materials harmful to the environment, visit the website www.nodrugsdownthedrain.org.