The Great Neck Water Pollution Control District (GNWPCD) is proud to announce that it is hosting its biannual “Shed the Meds” event on Sunday, April 25 from 10:30 am to 1:30 p.m. at its headquarters at 236 East Shore Road, Great Neck, NY 11023. The GNWPCD encourages the community to participate in its contactless drive-thru event, which provides residents with an opportunity to safely dispose of unused or expired medications as well as sharps.
“The Shed the Meds event is a service that we look forward to providing the community twice a year as participation grows every time that we host it,” said GNWPCD Commissioner Patty Katz. “Your annual spring cleaning is the perfect opportunity to clean out your medicine cabinets and support our efforts to ensure that these potentially toxic substances get disposed of properly, ultimately benefiting our water quality and environment.”
The GNWPCD hosts this event every spring and fall to help stop improper disposal of medications, such as flushing them down the toilet, which can have a negative impact on our environment. When medications get tossed into the garbage, they eventually end up in a landfill where the ground can absorb their potentially-harmful contents. When they are flushed down the toilet, they dissolve in the wastewater and the current treatment systems are not capable of removing the chemicals, which means they are discharged into the bay—degrading water quality.
“We a very proud of our residents who have taken the importance of this event seriously and for their continuing commitment to dispose of their prescriptions and other medical waste the right way,” said GNWPCD Chairman Steve Reiter. “If we can count on our residents to store these items in a safe place, they can count on us to host this event twice a year to get rid of them.”
As in year’s past, the Great Neck Water Pollution Control District has partnered with Reach Out America, the Great Neck Breast Cancer Coalition, North Shore Action, the Nassau County Police Department, Northwell Health and the Great Neck North High School Key Club. Due to the community’s continued participation and enthusiasm surrounding this event, the District has been able to collect and properly dispose more than 2,000 pounds of pharmaceutical waste over the last six years.
