SAN JOSE, Calif. (KCBS) -- Health officials in San Jose urged people to drop off their expired medications at safe-drop off locations throughout Silicon Valley Monday. One of those was a San Jose senior center that saw drop-offs of Vicodin, OxyContin, and Amoxicillin, among other things.
KCBS’ Matt Bigler Reports
”What we’re really trying to do is to encourage people not to flush their old and unwanted medicines down the toilet, or down the drain,” said Sharon Newton with the city’s Environmental Services Department.
When drugs go down the drain, they go straight to waste water treatment plants.
”Waste water treatment plants do their job at getting rid of what they’re supposed to be getting rid of, however they weren’t designed to get rid of all of the pharmaceutical compounds that we have coming through the system today. This means that some of the stuff is escaping into the environment,” said Newton.
That means it is polluting streams, rivers and eventually the bay. Various drop-off sites will be open through Saturday as part of a statewide campaign to get people to dispose of their medications properly. (MGO)
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