Red Deer residents are being urged to protect local waterways by returning expired medications to participating pharmacies for disposal.
Medications flushed down the toilet or poured down the drain can pollute rivers and streams, affecting fish and the aquatic ecosystem. Tossing them in the trash can lead to leaching from the the landfill into groundwater.
“We are asking residents to do their part in protecting the environment,” said Danielle Carpenter, the city’s environmental program specialist.
“Properly disposing of expired and unused medications helps keep our waterways free from pollution.”
Each spring and fall, along with the time change, residents are asked to check their medicine cabinets for unused or expired medications and bring them to their local pharmacy for safe disposal.
Pharmacies can accept prescriptions, over-the-counter medicines, vitamins and supplements, inhalers, ointments and lotions, and EpiPens.