Iowa City tackles prescription abuse with a prescription drug take-back event

Opioids, central nervous system depressants, and stimulants are the top three most abused classes of prescription drugs nationally. according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

In light of this, the Iowa City Police Department and the Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center have teamed up to provide Johnson County residents with a collection event where they can dispose of unwanted and outdated prescription drugs and sharps.

These types of events are organized nationwide by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, also known as the DEA National take-back day for prescription medicines. The local collection event took place on Saturday, October 26 from 10am to 2pm in the parking lot of the East Side Recycling Center in Iowa City.

Iowa City resident Martha Knight wishes the community had events like this more than twice a year and that they were better advertised. Knight had only heard of the event through word of mouth, but when she looked it up she couldn’t find much information about it.

“These types of events are very important. I mean, it came at the right time for me because we’re closing on my mom’s house, so there’s a lot of old recipes that we have to get rid of,” Knight said.

Prescription Drug Take Back Day is intended to reduce the risk of prescription drug abuse. Over the past fifteen years, prescription drug abuse has resulted in an increase in emergency room visits, admissions for drug addiction treatment, and overdose deaths. reported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Improper disposal of sharp objects can lead to needlestick injuries. If needles are thrown in the trash at home instead of being dropped off in a designated area in a sharps container or an old detergent bottle, waste management workers are at greater risk of becoming trapped. Needle needle injuries can lead to the transmission of infectious diseases ranging from hepatitis B, hepatitis C or HIV.

City of Iowa City Resource Management Superintendent Jennifer Jordan explained the importance of proper disposal of used needles, as several Iowa City Landfill workers have been struck by sharp objects in recent years.

“It didn’t happen to me, but it is scary for the staff. A whole series of tests must take place. It is very important to make sure there are no long-term health consequences for them,” Jordan said.

The Iowa City Landfill cannot accept or dispose of controlled substances at the hazardous materials facility during normal operating hours, but because they are required to have an officer present for the event, Johnson County residents can rid their households of those substances.

Detective Niles Mercer of the Iowa State Police was at the East Side Recycling Center on Saturday to oversee the collection.

“Every spring and fall, we generally prevent approximately 500 pounds of pharmaceutical waste from going to the landfill,” Mercer said.

At the end of the event, Mercer took possession of what had been delivered and arranged for the substances to be grouped with other pharmaceutical products to be shipped for destruction. In this case, all substances collected during return are incinerated.

Iowa City police have a secure drop box for disposing of unwanted or expired medications at 410 E Washington St. if residents were unable to get to the East Side Recycling Center on Saturday.

Improper disposal of pharmaceuticals by flushing them down the toilet can have a negative impact on aquatic ecosystems. Marine life can have adverse effects on reproduction, growth and behavior when exposed to runoff, according to the report. EPA.

“In Iowa City, we seem to think it’s a young, vibrant community, but in reality there are a lot of elderly people who need these types of services,” Knight said.

Knight also acknowledged that younger residents would need events like these and that health issues requiring injectables affect many people in the state of Iowa.

The EPA estimates Each year, eight million people across the country use more than three billion needles, syringes and lancets to manage medical conditions at home, making it difficult for landfills to monitor which substances and sharps are properly sent to the landfill .

“Make sure the sharp objects are held properly,” Jordan said. “It’s a real safety issue.”