May 29, 2002 -- A new program gives residents of Australia an environmentally safe way to discard old or unwanted medicines.
New research has found a rise in many types of drugs in rivers, lakes and streams on a global scale. The RUM Project, which stands for Return Unwanted Medicines, seeks to give residents a safe alternative to flushing their out of date medicines.
Return Unwanted Medicines (RUM) Project Manager, Simon Appel, said Australians should rethink their waste habits, both in the home and in the broader community.
"While we can easily identify rubbish in the community, the dangers of accumulating and disposing hazardous rubbish in the home, such as unwanted and out of date medicines, are not so clear," he said.
"The fact is sewage treatment plants aren't designed to treat all the substances contained in medicines so when they go down the toilet or the sink, some of these chemicals could end up in our rivers and creeks where they may cause harm."
The RUM Project has secured the participation of pharmacists all over the country to act as drop-off sites for the medicines.
More than 230 tonnes of unwanted prescription and over the counter medicines have already been collected in Australia, project organizers said. The RUM Project is funded by the Commonwealth Government.
"By using pharmacists as a centralised collection point the RUM Project is making it easier for people to ensure that medicines, which could otherwise end up as pollutants or worse, are disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner," Appel said.
The free service is provided by all pharmacies throughout NSW and indeed Australia.
For more information, visit http://www.returnmed.com.au/.
