Reducing the Risks of Unmanaged Medications October 16, 2013

A Million Thanks and Miles to Go

By John G. Waffenschmidt, Vice President Environmental Science and Community Affairs Certified Ecologist

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• Thanks to all of you who have helped us progress to this point

• We still have work to do:

• DEA regulations

• Lower the death rate

• Pharmacies as the drop-off location

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A Million Thanks and Miles to Go

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Covanta Early Involvement

2007 Tom Sinclair, Monroe County Coordinator HHW and Dave Urbaski, Covanta Secure Services Senior Sales Marketing Manager

Upstate Pharmaceutical Collection Work Group

No Flush Policy

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Rx4Safety

JGW3012 6 Christopher M. Jones, PharmD, MPH, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention URL: http://www.in.gov/attorneygeneral/files/Jones_Indiana_RX_Meeting_-_CJONES(5).pdf

Key Issues Addressed In Initial Product Stewardship Institute Review

• How clean are the emissions?

• Isn’t hazardous waste incineration better?

• What happens with controlled substances? Hazardous pharmaceuticals?

• Do you take DOT-Hazardous materials?

• What organics are tested? What is the destruction efficiency?

JGW3012 7 Product Steward Institute website: http://www.productstewardship.us/

How The Rx4Safety Program Works

• E-mail to Covanta Secure Services • Do the Paperwork – Household Hazardous Waste

Exemption is Key (State-by-State decision) • Run the Program • Deliver to a Designated Covanta Facility with

Police Escort • Please – No Iodine Containing Products or

Needles

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Program Results to Date • Greater than One Million pounds destroyed

• Regulatory shift to Household Hazardous Waste Exemption

• Thermal destruction’s value more recognized

• Partnerships are developing in multiple communities

• 1,439 articles with 105 million impressions (visits, readers/papers)

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Impressions

• The pharmaceutical epidemic is bigger than most folks realize

• Controlled substances must be included in any comprehensive program

• The pharmacy is the logical drop-off point

• It’s time for the DEA regulations to be issued

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DEA Regulations • Issuance would be a step forward • Program efficiency would be enhanced if DEA

registrants could go to Municipal Waste Combustors, a.k.a., Energy-from-Waste facilities

• DEA should work with EPA to get to a universal Household Hazardous Waste exclusion for consumer-oriented pharmaceuticals

• There should be a provision for the inadvertent receipt of controlled substances by existing community take-back programs

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Conclusion • Thank you for efforts you have made to date • Pharmaceuticals need to be removed from

abusers and never flushed • Municipal Waste Combustors performance

characteristics make them ideal for pharmaceuticals destruction

• All consumer-oriented pharmaceuticals should be subject to the Household Hazardous Waste exclusion

• Let’s get the DEA regulations issued 12 JGW3012

DRAFT

Have a Nice Day and a Pleasant

Tomorrow!

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Slide Number 1Slide Number 2Slide Number 3Covanta Early InvolvementSlide Number 5Rx4SafetyKey Issues Addressed In Initial Product Stewardship Institute ReviewHow The Rx4Safety Program WorksProgram Results to DateImpressionsDEA RegulationsConclusionHave a Nice Day and a Pleasant Tomorrow!�