Hello neighbors and friends! Our very own Ed Gottlieb (chair of the Coalition for Safe Medication Disposal, board member of the New York Product Stewardship Council and Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator at the Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Facility) has coauthored an important article in the Times Union ( http://www.timesunion.com/opinion/article/Take-back-programs-the-best-method-for-drug-12189111.php) educating us all on the risk of throwing away medications and especially opiates as was recently recommended by Dr. Azar on the popular Today Show. Pharmaceutical companies do not want us to encourage take-back programs that would require them to fund the organizing and safe disposal so the message that is shared with the public is to dump it down the disposal. This is not only harmful environmentally but can lead to public health issues such as accidental poisonings. Cuomo is currently considering a bill that would, "preempt any local law, existing or future, that requires pharmaceutical manufacturers to organize and pay for drug take-back programs." That is one issue with the bill that has already passed through the legislature. Read Gottleib's article for more information and consider signing his change.org petition: https://www.change.org/p/don-nash-executive-producer-of-the-today-show-nbc-protect-public-health-the-environment-promote-take-back-for-unwanted-medications .
If you are inspired you can also call Governor Cuomo's office: 1-518-474-8390 or write him your thoughts at: https://www.governor.ny.gov/content/governor-contact-form. In good health, Anna For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom Shelley, at [email protected].
