What should you do with old meds and CFLs?

Did you ever wonder what to do with those old, half-used bottles of medicine? What about burned out fluorescent bulbs or energy-efficient Compact Fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs)?

Today I cleaned out my medicine cabinet, and it got me to wondering. Should I throw those expired Claritan Tablets in the garbage? What about the Omnicef my doctor prescribed several years ago that didn't agree with me?

You may be aware of some of the recent controversy about finding residual medications in our water supply. Although much of that may be the result of body fluids, why add to the problem by flushing old medicine down the John?

I'm also hearing controversies about kids having parties where they pour medicines into a bowl, mix them up and then dare each other to take them. This further fuels my interest in getting old medications out of my house. So what should I do with them?

A call to my local Walgreens (which does not take old medicines back) reminded me that the Recycling & Waste Reduction District of Porter County hosts Household Hazardous Waste events each year. There are several events coming up that you might want to place on your calendar:

http://www.itmeanstheworld.org/recycling_events.html

Medications will only be accepted in their original container. They are then delivered to a special incineration site for disposal.

I've had several residents ask me recently about what to do with CFLs. Unfortunately, these items, as well as fluorescent tubes, carry a small amount of mercury. They can be delivered to the HHW collection site as well, but should be sealed in a plastic bag.

There are other items as well that are collected at these sites. Here is a helpful list that will allow you to get those nasty items out of your home, and, more importantly, removed from landfills:
http://www.itmeanstheworld.org/household_hazardous_waste_collections.html

Oh, and don't forget to recycle your old household batteries at the drive up box at the Town Hall. To date we have prevented more than 2,000 lbs. of batteries from entering area landfills! This effort contributes to the success of Ogden Dunes' participation in the Clean Community Challenge sponsored by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.