New East End Drug Incineration Program
It’s a start. Thank you to our independent East End pharmacies, who are now offering a program to help us keep toxins from unwanted medications out of our waterways. In a bid to level the field with competing chain stores and mail order prescription drugs, local pharmacies on both North and South Forks have formed a consortium and introduced a program to take back old prescription drugs and dispose of them properly.
Bring your drugs on Wednesday this week, November 17th 2010, between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., to Southold Pharmacy, Shelter Island Heights Pharmacy and Barth’s Pharmacy in Mattituck and Riverhead. They will be collected and turned over for proper incineration and it does not matter whether the drugs were purchased at one of the participating stores.
Southrifty Drug in Southampton Village began the effort there last year, but it’s the first time the program has been offered on the North Fork, The Suffolk Times reports.
“We live here and this is our water and our environment,” said Barry Barth, who owns the two North Fork pharmacies along with stores in East Moriches and Westhampton Beach.
Last month’s Southold VOICE article, “How to reduce your medication plume in one easy step?” (October 22nd 2010), highlighted this problem and called for a program in Southold Town to take back drugs regularly. Hopefully this program will become a regular occurrence, and not a one-time only event. Let your pharmacies know that we need a program that offers regular collection.
Photo: Carly & Art http://www.flickr.com/photos/wiredwitch/
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