Two cities set up drop boxes for unwanted medications
The cities of Columbia Falls and Whitefish recently have installed secure containers for the disposal of unwanted pharmaceutical products.
New drop boxes have been installed in the lobbies of police stations. Drop-off access is available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Whitefish and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Columbia Falls.
The Flathead County Justice Center at 920 S. Main St. in Kalispell installed a drop box with 24-hour access in the main lobby more than a year ago. This box has seen steady and regular use by county residents.
Medicines may be left in their original containers or mixed in plastic bags.
These drop-off sites cannot accept liquids or needles. Local pharmacies and the county landfill offer drop-off collection containers for used needles. Liquids may be mixed with kitty litter or coffee grounds and placed in your trash.
“The safe disposal of waste pharmaceutical products has become an issue of growing concern to local law enforcement agencies working to prevent drug abuse and to agencies working to protect water quality in the Flathead and across the state,” said Mayre Flowers, director of the WasteNot Project.
The WasteNot Project helped to secure grants from the Montana Department of Justice’s Operation Medicine Cabinet Project for the new containers.
Medications should never be flushed or poured down a drain. Endocrine disrupter compounds, pharmaceuticals and personal care products were detected in 13 of 14 shallow groundwater wells in the Flathead River Drainage sampled in fall 2010 by the Flathead Lake Biological Station.
“Based upon studies here and elsewhere in the state and the country, we are very concerned about the possibility of contamination and the potential impacts to public health,” said Caryn Miske, executive director of the Flathead Basin Commission. “It is imperative that we properly dispose of pharmaceutical and personal care products to protect both surface water and groundwater sources from contamination.”