Midland Health Has Easy Way to Dispose of Pharmaceutical, Medical Sharps
Midland Health now offers a convenient, safe and secure way for our community to dispose of unwanted OTC and prescription medications.
Did you know storing unwanted and expired medications in the home increases the risk of misuse and places children, seniors and pets at risk for accidental poisoning? Each year, more than $1 billion worth of leftover drugs are thrown in the trash, flushed, or relegated to medicine cabinets. When drugs are disposed of in the garbage, poured down the drain or flushed, they end up in the environment. Even if they enter the sewage system first, pharmaceutical compounds reach wastewater treatment plants that are not designed to remove them.
Unused medications in the home are a source of drug abuse in millions of homes, with the opioid crisis in the United States fueled in part by that availability. More than 70 percent of young people abusing prescription pain relievers get them through friends or family, including raiding the family medicine cabinet. Overall, 22,000 people die each year from misuse of prescription drugs.
Our drug disposal unit, which is easily accessible in Midland Memorial Hospital, is a great answer to these problems and it’s simple to do. The drop box is located just inside the Main Emergency Department entrance. All you do is come in, look for the big green receptacle and deposit your meds. Drugs can be dropped off with no questions asked, anytime, any day. There are a few items we cannot accept in the green box, such as aerosols/inhalers, needles, liquids, and creams/lotions, but feel free to bring any other prescription or OTC medication.
Also located in the Main Emergency Department entrance is a disposal unit for needles and medical sharps. This container is red with a biohazard symbol and the word “SHARPS” on its cover. This service is also available to the community any time, any day, with no questions asked. Please note this container is for needles and medical sharps only. Acceptable medications should go in the green box.
Properly disposing of unwanted meds and sharps is your chance to take part in stemming the opioid crisis, maintaining our water supply integrity and providing a safe environment for family and friends.