Released June 25, 2009

WICHITA, Kan. — A college student working for Kansas State University’s Wichita-based Pollution Prevention Institute is traveling to several communities this summer to encourage people not to flush – that is, not to flush medications down the toilet.

For years, what seemed like the easiest and best way to dispose of excess or expired medications was down the toilet. But, that isn’t always the best method, according to the Food and Drug Administration and other environmental experts, said Wayne Larson, intern with K-State’s Pollution Prevention Institute.

“National studies have shown this common technique can negatively impact aquatic life,” he said.

Larson, who is a University of Kansas senior from Wichita, is going out armed with posters that explain two environmentally-preferred disposal techniques. He is visiting retail pharmacies, medical clinics and public venues in Douglas, Harvey, Sedgwick, Saline, Ellis and Rooks counties. He informs residents where they can go in their own communities to dispose of medications safely.

If residents cannot take their medication to a nearby municipal site, however, they can use the kitty litter or coffee grounds method recommended by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Larson said this involves crushing or dissolving solid medications in water, coffee or another liquid and then making a paste by adding the liquid to an absorbent substance, such as coffee grounds or kitty litter. The steps after that are to put the paste in a closeable container and to place the closed container in the trash.

The K-State Pollution Prevention Institute is funded in part by the Kansas Health Foundation. Established in 1995 as a part of the K-State College of Engineering, the institute provides free, nonregulatory technical assistance, as well as training in pollution prevention and environmental compliance.

More information about the PPI is available on the Web at http://www.sbeap.org. More information on disposing of medications is available on the FDA Web site: http://www.fda.gov/consumer/update/drug_disposal062308.html.

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http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/ksrenews/story/briefs062509.aspx

Writer: Elaine Edwards, elainee@ksu.edu