What is the Program?

The Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal Program is a collaborative effort among communities, police departments, city officials, students, and more.

The purpose of the program is to educate the public about the best ways to dispose of prescription and non-prescription drugs to protect our health and our environment.

The mission of the program is to provide St. Louis County communities with a responsible method of pharmaceutical disposal that effectively reduces the misuse and abuse of pharmaceuticals, as well as, ensures the quality of water in our rivers and for future generations.

Why is the Program Important?

As medical science advances, many more medical problems can be treated by prescription drugs. This progress has helped millions of people recover from disease or improve their quality of life.

However, the number of prescription drugs prescribed has increased. Over the last decade the percentage of Americans who took at least one prescription drug in the past month increased by 10 percent. The use of multiple prescription drugs increased by 20 percent and the use of five or more drugs increased by 70 percent.  Some of these medicines are not used and begin to accumulate in medicine cabinets.

• To reduce the risk of drug abuse -- Nearly one in five teens (about 4.5 million) report abusing prescription medications to get high.
• To cut the risk of accidental poisoning -- Every year about 71,000 young children are poisoned by medicines
• To protect our environment.  Flushing medicines down the toilet sends them to wastewater treatment plants and then into our rivers and streams. Studies have found trace amounts of pharmaceuticals in rivers and streams.  The impact of these trace amounts, measured in parts per trillion, is unknown.

 Proper collection and complete destruction is a better environmental solution.