If you store medications in your bathroom cabinet, the urge to empty old, expired prescriptions into the toilet is almost overwhelming. It’s easy to think: “let’s dump the rest and flush it away.” But, flushing medications is not the solution; they don’t just “go away”.
What you put into wastewater is something that needs to be removed at one of the City’s Wastewater Treatment Facilities. “Anything you flush becomes part of the City’s wastewater that must be treated before discharging to the Rio Grande,” explains Meei Montoya, P.E., Las Cruces Utilities (LCU) interim wastewater administrator.
It’s not just a matter of the wastewater technology, which removes contaminants in wastewater, it’s also a matter of caring for the environment. Once our wastewater is treated, we discharge the “effluent” into the Rio Grande. That treated effluent becomes home to fish, wild birds, and other wildlife, serves as irrigation water for farmers, and is used by downstream communities.
So, what should you do with unwanted medication? LCU offers these practical tips to dispose at home:
- The safest, easiest at-home disposal is to mix your pills with used coffee grounds or used cat litter and put it into your trash. This makes it undesirable to anyone who might rummage through garbage; it’s recommended to add a few drops of hot sauce to deter pets.
- Your trash goes to Corralitos Regional Landfill, permitted and sited far from groundwater and lined with multiple liners to contain potentially hazardous materials and protect our environment from contamination.
- Make sure that your information stays safe - remember to peel off personal information from medication bottles before throwing them away.
Another option for pharmaceutical disposal: The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) sponsors two Drug Take Back Days every year. In April the Unified Prevention Coalition (UP!) supported law enforcement agencies across the County, including the Las Cruces Police Department and the Doña Ana County (DAC) Sheriff’s Office. Combined, the agencies accepted a total of 1,117.64 lbs. of pharmaceutical drugs from five communities across the County. Marisol Diaz, M.A., Doña Ana County (DAC) prevention programs director says, “The next Take Back Day will be Saturday, October 27th from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Individuals seeking to find locations can visit the DEA website closer to October. We will also put out information and encourage individuals to follow our updates on Facebook.”
Another safe place to drop off prescription medications is the DAC Sheriff’s Office, at 845 North Motel Boulevard, adjacent to the County Government Complex, Mondays through Fridays during regular business hours. Or take your unwanted prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications to a medication drop-off bin in the back of the Walgreens at 3100 N. Main Street, open 24 hours a day.
Submitted by Las Cruces Utilities. You can reach Las Cruces Utilities at 528-3500 from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Las Cruces Utilities provides GAS – WATER – WASTEWATER – SOLID WASTE services to approximately 100,000 Las Cruces residents and businesses.