Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for drugs has increased. Keep in mind that you should check your home medicine kit every six months, as expired medications are considered hazardous waste.
Do not dispose of drugs in landfills, it may pollute the environment. Under the influence of the sun, moisture, temperature, bacteria, and other factors, the active substances of drugs begin to interact with each other, with the environment, releasing toxic compounds. Just apply to medical waste disposal services st Louis Missouri to avoid pollution. However, if you want to do it yourself, do it properly.
How to get rid of expired drugs?
If there is no possibility to apply to the professional medical waste disposal services st Louis Missouri to help you dispose of drugs, you will still have to throw them away, but you should follow certain rules:
- Remove them from the package;
- Grind the pills into a powder, and if it is a gel or liquid, dissolve in water and mix with inedible waste (earth, sand, etc.);
- Tightly pack in a bag or container;
- Take out together with other garbage.
Such simple actions will help prevent chemicals from entering the water or soil.
There is another important point to consider. Packaging for medicines is made as airtight as possible. Sometimes waterproof or light-resistant material is used to obtain perfectly protected medicines.
As you know, blisters are a mixed package made of plastic and metal. It is very difficult to separate them from each other, which means that it is also almost impossible to recycle.
Pharmaceutical companies, pharmacies, medical institutions, and pharmaceutical warehouses may also need to dispose of medicines. Such medicines include medical and pharmaceutical drugs, expired and of poor quality or with damaged packaging. Such companies do not have the right to dispose of medicines on their own and they should apply to medical waste disposal services st Louis Missouri.
Peculiarities of drug disposal.
1. Expired drugs are collected in special containers. All further actions (transportation, disposal, processing, destruction) can be carried out only by specialized companies such as medical waste disposal services st Louis Missouri.
2. Expired drugs are transported to temporary storage sites or landfills.
3. Then drugs are chemically or thermally neutralized.
4. They are disposed of by incineration.
Illegal disposal of expired drugs by burial or incineration (as well as their destruction by other methods) is regarded as a violation of environmental legislation. The violator faces punishment in the form of civil, disciplinary, administrative, or criminal liability. Legal entities (companies) may lose the right to carry out their activities.
To avoid such consequences, contact medical waste disposal services st Louis Missouri or other professional services. The specialists will provide a full range of services for the disposal of medicines such as
• collection;
• transportation;
• disinfection (for toxic waste);
• temporary storage;
• disposal or recycling.
Proper disposal of healthcare waste through sustainable sanitation systems is an essential part of pandemic planning and recovery. If we can do it right during the pandemic of COVID-19, it will be much easier to deal with during the next outbreak.