Medications at school: disposing of pharmaceutical waste

This project quantified and categorized medications left unclaimed by students at the end of the school year. It determined the feasibility of a model medication disposal program and assessed school nurses' perceptions of environmentally responsible medication disposal.

At a large urban school district all unclaimed medications were collected at the end of a school year to determine the extent and nature of this problem. Nurses documented unclaimed medications and transported them to a central district location. An environmentally responsible medication disposal program, consisting of sealed containers bound for a local hospital's disposal system, was implemented.

In a school district of approximately 133,000 students, there were 926 different medications abandoned at the end of a school year brought to a central disposal area. Nurses complied with the newly implemented protocol. Information collected from nurses indicates acceptance of the program. Disposal of unclaimed medications at a central location, use of secured containers, and transportation to a hospital for environmentally responsible disposal proved to be feasible and acceptable to the staff.

Unclaimed medications at school each year pose a potentially huge environmental risk when disposed of improperly. It is feasible to implement an environmentally responsible medication disposal protocol at schools.