Freeburg, Ill. (May 19, 2014) – Illinois American Water and the Village of Freeburg have partnered to implement a pharmaceutical disposal program in Freeburg. Illinois American Water donated the pharmaceutical drop box, which will be installed with a kick-off event at the Village of Freeburg Police Department, located at 14 Southgate Center in Freeburg on Thursday, May 22, 2014 at 4 PM.
Residents are encouraged to drop off their unwanted meds so they can be incinerated, which is the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recommended approach for pharmaceutical disposal. Flushing medications down the toilet or the drain as well as throwing them in the trash are discouraged.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
“This program is a great opportunity for Freeburg residents to stop by the Police Department and securely drop off any unused or expired medications,” said Freeburg Mayor Seth Speiser. “It’s important for us to keep these items not only out of our landfills and water supplies, but also out of the hands of our youth.”
The Freeburg pharmaceutical disposal program is the 33rd program supported through Illinois American Water’s initiatives. “Our goal is to establish a greatly expanded network of secure pharmaceutical collection centers throughout the state,” said Grant Evitts, senior operations manager for Illinois American Water’s Interurban (Metro East) District.
Through partnership and collaboration with local pharmacies, police departments and government officials, Illinois American Water has implemented and supported pharmaceutical disposal programs in Alton, Bartonville, Belleville, Caseyville, Champaign (three sites), Chicago (two sites), Chillicothe, Collinsville, Columbia, Dixon, Fairmont, Maryville, Morrison, Mt. Carroll, Mt. Vernon, O’Fallon, Orland Hills, Pekin, Peoria (three sites), Peoria Heights, Pontiac, South Beloit, Sterling, Streator, Urbana (two sites) and Waterloo.
The pharmaceutical disposal programs were created through a model developed by Pontiac High School students and their teacher Paul Ritter. The program, P2D2, has been recognized Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Natural Resources. In addition, the Drug Enforcement Agency sponsors an annual National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Through all of these efforts, hundreds of thousands of pounds of unwanted medications have been properly disposed.
About Illinois American Water
Illinois American Water, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 1.2 million people. American Water also operates a customer service center in Alton and a quality control and research laboratory in Belleville. Founded in 1886, American Water is the largest publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company. With headquarters in Voorhees, N.J., the company employs more than 6,600 dedicated professionals who provide drinking water, wastewater and other related services to approximately 14 million people in more than 40 states, as well as parts of Canada. More information can be found by visiting www.amwater.com.
###
More like this:
