Medications will be Disposed of Safely to Avoid Abuse and Harm to the Environment.
TRAVERSE CITY -- For years, people have been discarding unused and expired medications by flushing them down the toilet or simply throwing them in the trash, but these practices may be harmful to the environment. A Traverse City pharmacy is now collecting medicines to safely dispose of them.
The Medicine Shoppe on Garfield Avenue in Traverse City is participating in Grand Traverse County Resource Recovery's " Take it Back" program. The program allows local businesses to collect materials for recycling. Otherwise, to recycle the items, residents would have to wait for special collection days through Resource Recovery.
The medicines will be taken from the Traverse City pharmacy by a downstate company for incineration.
During the pharmacy's operating hours, residents can drop off their prescription or over-the-counter drugs and vitamins. Any controlled substances, including many prescription painkillers, can not be dropped off at the pharmacy. All pills must be in bottles or plastic bags. Loose tablets will not be accepted.
