Keeping Our Sewers Pharmaceutical-Free
Thru Public Education, Outreach and
Resource Coordination
Susanna Littell
Section Manager, Environmental Compliance
Orange County Utilities
Overview
• Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care
Products (PPCPs) are classified as
Emerging Substances of Concern
• Are discharged to sewers by many sources
• Environmental impacts
• Limited and restrictive regulations to control
discharges
• Promote education and BMPs to address
Pharmaceuticals and Personal
Care Products as Pollutants
PPCPs include over 14 million
chemical compounds:
• Prescription and over-the
counter drugs
• Veterinary drugs
• Fragrances
• Cosmetics
• Sun-screen products
• Diagnostic agents
• Nutraceuticals (e.g., vitamins)
General PPCP Usage
PPCPs are used by:
• Individuals for personal
health or cosmetic reasons
• Agribusiness to enhance
growth or health of
livestock.
PPCP Source Pathways
to the Sewer
• Ingested then excreted
• Discharged during bathing
• Discharged during medication disposal
• 50% of all unused prescriptions
• 80% of all unused antibiotics
PPCP Sources
•Manufacturing process waste
•Wastes from the distributor, pharmacy, hospital
and healthcare facility
•Wastes from residential care facilities
•Pharmaceuticals from the consumer
•Excreted metabolites entering wastewater
PPCP Environmental Pathways
•Pass through septic tanks to
aquifer
•Pass through WWTPs and
enter:
–Aquifers
–Surface waters
–Reclaimed water areas
–Biosolid application areas
PPCP Discharge Standards
• 14 Drinking-water standards (DWS)
or other human or ecological health
criteria have been established
•Only 1% (250,000) of 14 million
chemicals have regulatory controls
•POTWs will eventually have discharge
limits
•CIU category for PPCPs proposed
Pharmaceutical Controls
•RCRA for the disposal of hazardous
pharmaceutical wastes produced by
pharmaceutical manufacturers and the health
care industry
•Controlled Substance Act
– Criteria includes DEA registration to
handle controlled substances in schedules
II through V
Controlled Substances
http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/schedules/schedules.htm
• Schedule I – illegal drugs (ex., heroin, LSD)
• Schedule II – Morphine, OxyContin, codeine,
Demerol, Ritalin, amphetamines
• Schedule III – Tylenol with codeine, Vicodin
• Schedule IV – Benzodiazepines, Valium,
Darvon
• Schedule V – Codeine cough syrups
Unused Pharmaceuticals
Too Many Pharmaceuticals Go Unused…
• PhRMA uses an estimate of 3% of all meds go
unused:
– 82% of antibiotics go unused
– 50% of antidepressants
– 50% of beta-blockers
– 20% of pain meds
• Waste management compliance rates for some
medications are < 20%
• Medicare Part D and others require 30-day supply
billings, regardless of need and without ability to refund
unused expenses (or to return unused product)
Ensure Proper Waste Disposal
• Modify SUO to address this discharge
• Inspect commercial and industrial facilities to ensure proper
waste disposal:
– Wastes are returned to manufacturer
– RCRA waste are properly disposed of directly
– Wastes are manage through a ‘Reverse Distributor”
• Recycled or incinerated, depending on waste type, packaging
• 6 Reverse Distributors in Florida
• DEA Website: http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov
Educate Consumers of
Proper Waste Disposal
First…
•Develop educational info for customer
distribution:
–Direct mailing, utility bill stuffers
–TV Commercial, radio spots
–Direct education (community events Earth
Day events, HOAs, senior community
centers,…)
•Consider using FDEP & AWWA educational
materials
Provide Consumers Pharmaceutical Waste
Disposal Options
Second…
•Contact the local police department to see
if they have a drug collection program
•Create your own drug collection
program (with required police
participation)
–Partner local police directly
–Partner with police during
Household Hazardous Waste events
–Advertise these events!
Provide Consumers Pharmaceutical Waste
Disposal Options
Lastly, if no collection options exist, or will be
provided, consider recommending consumers to:
• Remove all personal identification from
prescription bottles;
• Mix all unused drugs with coffee grounds, kitty
litter, or another undesirable substance, and/or
• Place this mixture in a sealed container before
disposing in the trash, on the day of pick-up.
Provide Consumers Pharmaceutical
Waste Disposal Program Funding
Grants are available to Law Enforcement
Agencies to Establish a “Drug Collection for
Proper Disposal” Program
• The Federal Government offers law enforcement
agencies a one-time grant, up to $1,000, to
establish a “Drug Collection for Proper Disposal”
program. This funding can be used to pay for:
collection boxes, signage, evidence handling,
incineration, advertising or associated expenses.
Sources of Information Contained in this
Presentation
References:
Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care
Products as Pollutants (PPCPs), EPA
Web Site: http://www.epa.gov/ppcp/