Residents are encouraged to drop off their unwanted medications at
approved collection sites so they can be incinerated, which is the
Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recommended approach for
pharmaceutical disposal. Both flushing medications down the toilet
and throwing them in the trash are discouraged.
The event is Saturday, Sept. 26, from 10 AM to 2 PM. Collection
sites participating in this event can be located by visiting
http://www.deadiversion .usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/index.html
“This event is a great opportunity for residents to securely drop
off any unused or expired medications,” said Bruce Hauk, Illinois
American Water President. “It’s important for us to keep these items
out of our landfills and water supplies as well as the hands of
those who may misuse or abuse them.”
Hauk added, “We encourage those who cannot participate during this
DEA event to continue to use their community pharmaceutical disposal
programs to properly dispose of their unwanted medications. Through
all of these efforts we can protect not only our water but our
community as a whole.”
Through partnership and collaboration with local pharmacies,
environmental stewards, police departments and government officials,
Illinois American Water has helped to implement 37 permanent
pharmaceutical disposal programs across the state. These programs
are located in Alton, Bartonville, Belleville, Caseyville, Champaign
(three sites), Chicago (two sites), Chillicothe, Collinsville,
Columbia, Dixon, East Alton, Fairmont, Freeburg, Glen Carbon,
Madison, Maryville, Morrison, Mt. Carroll, Mt. Vernon, O’Fallon,
Orland Hills, Pekin, Peoria (three sites), Peoria Heights, Pontiac,
Red Bud, South Beloit, Sterling, Streator, Urbana (two sites) and
Waterloo. To find a permanent collection program in Illinois, please
visit
http://www.epa .illinois.gov/services-locator/
The pharmaceutical disposal programs were created through a model
developed by Pontiac High School Township students and their teacher
Paul Ritter. The program, P2D2, has been recognized as a model for
all pharmaceutical disposal programs. Through P2D2’s efforts,
hundreds of thousands of pounds of unwanted medications have been
collected and disposed of properly. To learn more about P2D2 please
visit www.p2d2program.org.
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About Illinois American Water
Illinois American Water, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Water (NYSE:
AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing
high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 1.2
million people. American Water also operates a customer service center in Alton
and a quality control and research laboratory in Belleville. Founded in 1886,
American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse publicly traded
U.S. water and wastewater utility company. With headquarters in Voorhees, N.J.,
the company employs 6,800 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and
market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to an
estimated 15 million people in 47 states and Ontario, Canada. More information
can be found at www.amwater.com.
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[Karen Cotton, Illinois American
Water]
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