EVENT: Pitch those pills on April 22 when you visit EarthFest

Spring has sprung and of course with a change in weather comes time for spring cleaning. In addition to squeegeeing windows and deep-cleaning carpets, you also need to take some time and “spring clean” your medicine cabinet.

Chances are, your medicine cabinet is filled with expired or unused prescription and non-prescription medications including pills, blister packs, creams and inhalers. As a parent, you likely have medications your children have outgrown.

Medical professionals used to recommend disposing of unwanted medications by flushing it down the toilet or rinsing 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.

The Sewer District makes it easy to #PitchThosePills and safely dispose of unwanted medications on April 22. We are partnering with EarthFest at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds and will offer a Pitch Those Pills drive-by drop-off immediately outside the event’s main entrance.

Pitch Those Pills at EarthFest
Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds
Saturday, April 22
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
No admission required! Drive by and drop off!

We will accept pills, capsules, blister packs, creams, ointments, inhalers and unused sharps (needles). We cannot accept used sharps.

If you are unable to attend this pharmaceutical collection, there are also ways to safely dispose of medications at home or other safe drop-offs. While some pharmacies may collect unused or outdated pharmaceuticals, you may choose to dispose of them at home, but keep the following tips in mind to protect your children or pets.

• Steps should be taken to make it difficult for any person or animal to unintentionally ingest the medicine. Keep it in its original packaging. (These containers are often childproof and the labels may contain necessary information.) Use a marker to black out personal information.
• Make pills unusable by crushing and dissolving them with a small amount of water. Absorb liquid medication with flour, table salt, or sawdust.
• Secure any packaging with strong tape. Seal the package or dissolved liquid medication inside a non-recyclable, non-transparent container. Place this in with your household trash.

From the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District's A healthy environment starts at home handbook.

POTUS: 3 videos to celebrate President Obama's 54th birthday

What better way to commemorate President Barack Obama's 54th birthday today than with his three public service announcements that advocate clean water. Share accordingly.

VIDEO: 3 water messages you won't hear from @BarackObama at @TheCityClub but should.

It's another amazing Cleveland day as President Barack Obama will be speaking at the City Club later this afternoon.

But it's unlikely he'll talk about his dog Bo's poop.

No worries! Since he's in Cleveland, we asked him* for his official polices on three key platforms. Here's what he had to say.

Obama says #DontFlushWipes



Obama says #DogsCantFlush



Obama says #PitchThosePills



Thanks to our own Wastewater Plant Operator Ryan Melton for his talents. Nice suit, too.

LIST: Flush or fiction? 5 of our favorite toilet bowl myths and legends

Handy wipes are flushable: False.

They may say flushable on the package. They are common in bathrooms across the country. But because disposable wipes don't break down in the sewer system like toilet paper does, they can clog a home's plumbing and cause major issues in city treatment systems. Throw wipes in the trash rather than the toilet.

A city sewer system failed when the flow surged beyond capacity during a Super Bowl halftime show: False.

It's a legend that resurfaces every January as teams vie for the big game, but legend is all it is. Green Bay Metro Sewer District said even under the most extreme restroom-rush conditions, the likelihood of a major metropolitan sewer system being unable to handle the flow is slim to none.

Toilet water can splash onto your toothbrush: True.

The Discovery Channel's Mythbusters team proved aerosol droplets released from a flushing toilet can be shown to affect surfaces in restrooms. But the test also showed the reaches to which fecal bacteria can be found all throughout the house, something we're well aware of.

RELATED STORIES

• TECH: How do astronauts go to the bathroom in space?
• VIDEO: How does the International Space Station toilet actually work?
• HISTORY: What were bathrooms like in 1776?
• TIPS: 15 things you shouldn't flush (but probably do)

The rotation of the earth changes the direction water flows around a toilet bowl: False.

Does the direction of a toilet bowl's spinning water change depending on the hemisphere you're in? No. The earth's rotation does cause something known as the Coriolis effect, but the force of a flushing drain is, as How Stuff Works explains, "much too great to be influenced by something as miniscule as a single, 360-degree turn over the span of a day."

You should flush old or outdated medications down the toilet rather than just throwing them away: False.

Flushing pharmaceutical products is harmful to our water resources. Wastewater treatment plants are unable to remove these medications from the sewage, which means they end up in our waterways. It's best to drop old and unused medications in safe disposal locations and community collection events so they can be disposed of properly.

NEWS: With a Great Lake comes great responsibility. #FlushResponsibly

It's important to drink responsibly. From our perspective, your actions following your beverages of choice are just as important.

We're proud to support the Burning River Foundation's Burning River Fest and its focus on sustainability this Friday and Saturday, and we thought it was the perfect opportunity to spread the message of responsible flushing. Our work protects Lake Erie, and what goes down your toilet and drains matters.

Taps and toilets tend to go hand-in-hand, and we hope you can help us raise awareness of clean water and personal responsibility before, during, and after you raise a glass of your favorite beverages.

Share your favorite #FlushResponsibly message below.

Take it seriously.

We take our clean-water responsibilities seriously. We encourage you to do the same. #FlushResponsibly.

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:

Download this as a PDF

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.