Department of Environment & Conservation
Robert Martineau, Commissioner

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has scheduled another National Prescription Drug Take Back Day which will take place on Saturday, April 28, 2012, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.  This is a great opportunity for those who missed the previous events, or who have subsequently accumulated unwanted, unused prescription drugs, to safely dispose of those medications.  Please check back in March for the list of participating local law enforcement agencies.

Americans that participated in the DEA’s third National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on October 29, 2011, turned in more than 377,086 pounds (188.5 tons) of unwanted or expired medications for safe and proper disposal at the 5,327 take-back sites that were available in all 50 states and U.S. territories. When the results of the three prior Take Back Days are combined, the DEA, and its state, local, and tribal law-enforcement and community partners removed 995,185 pounds (498.5 tons) of medication from circulation.

Learn more about DEA's National Take Back Initiative on Oct. 29, 2011, including how to find a collection event near you.

The East Tennessee Medication Collection Coalition will be holding a regional unwanted medications collection event on Nov. 12, 2011 from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm ET at various sites across Anderson, Blount, Knox, Roane and Scott Counties. More info on Nov. 12 event sites and contact information.

Oct. 24-29, 2011: Bradley County Sheriff’s Office will be a collection point for unused and expired prescription medications to ensure their proper disposal. Unwanted meds can be brought to the Criminal Investigations Division entrance on the south side of the Bradley County Judicial Center at 2290 Blythe Avenue on Oct. 24-28 between 9a-3p ET; on Oct. 29 between 10a-2p.

April 22, 2011 - Metro Nashville and state officials launched Tennessee’s first comprehensive county-wide medication drug take back initiative to educate residents about how to properly dispose of prescription and OTC medications, and provide convenient locations to do so. The Metro Nashville Pharmaceutical Collection Program also ensures the city’s water supply is protected, while helping to reduce the risk of prescription drug overdose and abuse. Learn more.

Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) refer, in general, to any product used by individuals for personal health or cosmetic reasons or used by agribusiness to enhance growth or health of livestock. PPCPs comprise a diverse collection of thousands of chemical substances, including prescription and over-the-counter therapeutic drugs, veterinary drugs, fragrances, and cosmetics. Recent reports generated by the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. EPA have expressed concern over the growing levels of pharmaceutical and personal care products found in many of the nation’s largest cities drinking water supplies. Click here to view EPA diagram showing how PPCPs enter and impact the environment.

PPCPs have probably been present in water and the environment for as long as humans have been using them. The drugs that we take are not entirely absorbed by our bodies, and are excreted and passed into wastewater and surface water. Advances in technology are improving the ability to detect and quantify these chemicals, and we can now begin to identify what effects, if any, these chemicals have on human and environmental health.

Since we are just gaining a more complete understanding of PPCPs effect on waterbodies and most PPCPs cannot be removed by current water treatment technologies, it is a prudent to take steps that limit unnecessary entry of PPCPs into our nation’s rivers, lakes and streams.

Appropriate disposal of unused or outdated (unwanted) medications is one effective way to decrease the volume of PPCPs entering community waterways. Historically, there have been few locations for the take-back of unwanted medications. Therefore, the only drug disposal options for most people has been to flush unused medications or place them in the trash. Click here to view federal policy for Proper Disposal of Prescription Drugs from the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

As a result of this concern over the improper disposal of waste pharmaceuticals and their impact on drinking water supplies, the department has partnered with local law enforcement and solid waste officials across Tennessee to develop ways to take back unwanted pharmaceuticals. There are now permanent collection sites and temporary collection events capable of accepting and properly disposing of unwanted pharmaceuticals. Permanent collection centers are usually hosted and operated by law enforcement agencies or medical facility vendors. Various local law enforcement agencies host temporary collection events for their community.

It is recommended that you contact the disposal location before you visit to ensure hours of operation and to determine if anything has changed with their handling process.