Partnership Carson City collects 166 pounds of meds, 30 pounds of syringes in roundup
Submitted by editor on Thu, 04/30/2015 - 10:16am
The Prescription Round Up in Carson City held last Saturday brought in 166 pound of medicine, and nearly 30 pounds of syringes, according to Partnership Carson City. The event was held at all three SaveMarts and Smith's.
They’re something we all have but rarely think about, prescription drugs. Partnership Carson City hosted the roundup eliminating the prescription pills and liquids and collected the 30 pounds of syringes to be destroyed.
When asked why she thinks this is important, Partnership Carson City volunteer Tish Carpenter said, “It keeps it out of the water system and out of the high school.” Medications that are flushed down a toilet or sink have the potential of getting into our water supply. Many cities have water treatment centers that are not able to filter out all kinds of prescription drugs, leaving small amounts in the water even after treatment.
At the Prescription Drug Round Up, there is a deputy reserve officer on site to observe the collecting. After the collection, the reserve must take the pills back to the Carson City Sheriff’s Office to be weighed. From there the pills are transported to Reno. In Reno, the reserve meets up with a Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) officer who takes the prescription drugs to Crow’s Landing, California, to be incinerated.
The drugs cannot be donated as they’re a controlled substance. However, the prescription drug round up does accept drugs that are not prescription and not expired. These are taken to F.I.S.H., and they are allowed to decide what to do with them.
Prescription drugs can be destroyed at home by mixing them with coffee grounds in a Ziploc bag, smashing them, and disposing of the entire bag into the garbage. A video demonstration is available on the Partnership Carson City website: www.partnershipcarsoncity.org. Drugs can, also, be taken into our Sheriff’s Office and handed to a deputy to be disposed of properly.
— Emily Ammerman is a sophomore at Carson High School. She is also a journalist for Partnership Carson City. Emily plans to pursue a career in journalism and improve her writing abilities.
