HOME: #PitchThosePills! What to do with your old or unused meds

What do you do with your outdated or unused medications at home? Many residents don't know what to do with them, but we have recommendations to protect your family and our environment.

We remind you to pitch those pills properly. Here's why:

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Besides the dangers of unintentional poisoning at home, flushing pills down the toilet can be a water quality issue as wastewater treatment plants are not equipped to remove pharmaceuticals from wastewater. It can affect the environment and public health.

What to do for safe disposal

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration regularly offers its National Take Back Initiatives, but you don't need to wait until then: Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District offers year-round recommendations, including the County Sheriff's RX Drug Drop Box Program at local law enforcement agencies.

COLLECTION EVENTS IN YOUR COMMUNITY: Upcoming @neorsd #PitchThosePills collection events

Many may think it's OK to simply flush old or unused medications down the toilet, but that's not true. While researchers have no definitive evidence of human health risk directly related to flushing unused medications, the Sewer District has found education can help reduce this source of potential contamination.

Research, education continues

Pharmaceuticals in wastewater is not a new issue. We have researched and monitored trends dating back to the mid-1990s and have been involved in state and national dialogue ever since. We will continue to be active in all pharmaceutical wastewater-treatment research and seek the best solutions to address any health and environmental concerns.

#PitchThosePills: Dispose of unused meds safely this Saturday

If you flush your old drugs, there's a better and safer way to get rid of them.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has scheduled another National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day which will take place on Saturday, April 27, 2013, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. This is a great opportunity for residents with unwanted, outdated, or unused prescription drugs to safely dispose of those medications.

Our Environmental & Maintenance Services Center in Cuyahoga Heights will host a drop-off during those hours.

Pitch those pills safely: Upcoming collection event and safety tips

A common method of disposing of unwanted medication has been to flush it down the toilet or rinse it down the drain. But wastewater treatment plants are not designed to remove these medicines from wastewater, so they may pass through the treatment process unchanged. When the treated water is released into the Cuyahoga River and Lake Erie, it can still contain traces of these medicines.