Why Dispose of Medications Properly?
Don’t Rush to Flush! Our residential septic systems and wastewater treatment plants are not designed to break down the chemicals that make up medications. Therefore, if we flush expired or unused medications, we can contaminate the creeks, rivers, lakes, wells and groundwater. Accidental Poisonings! Per the Poison Control Center, 55% of accidental poisonings occur with children 5 years old and younger. The risk of a child or grandchild from accidentally ingesting medications increases when we store expired or unused medications in our homes! “Pharm” Parties! This consists of the collection of a variety of medications and then being randomly ingested. This leads to the misuse of prescription & over-the-counter medications and is a growing problem. If medications are disposed of properly and regularly, the opportunity for medications to be taken from our homes and misused decreases. |
Pharmaceutical Collections
Boone County residents can utilize free medicine collection bins located:
Boone County Jail - 1905 Indianapolis Avenue, Lebanon Zionsville Police Department - 1075 Parkway Drive, Zionsville Whitestown Police Department - 6210 Veterans Drive, Whitestown Acceptable Items: Unused or Expired Prescription Medications (including Controlled & Non-Controlled Pills, Liquids, & Patches) Expired Over-the-Counter Medications Vitamins & Supplements Unused or Expired Pet Medications Unacceptable Items: Institutional, Industrial or Business Waste Needles/Syringes/Sharps Bloody or Infectious Waste Thermometers 
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Safe Sharps Disposal
It has been estimated that as many as three billion used sharps are generated in homes and other unregulated sites throughout the U.S. Current sharp disposal regulations only apply in the health care settings such as doctors’ offices & hospitals. This leaves family members, solid waste haulers & recycling workers exposed to the possibilities of injuries and/or exposure to infectious diseases.
To help deter this issue, the District has sponsored a safe sharps disposal program in conjunction with the Boone County Health Department since 2001. |
* If you find a needle in a public area, DO NOT PICK IT UP, contact your local law enforcement immediately. They will pickup and dispose of the syringe appropriately!
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Steps for Safe Sharps Disposal
1. Pick up a FREE sharps disposal container at the Boone County Health Department.
2. Fill the container with sharps only.
3. Return the Container back to the Boone Co. Health Dept. They will dispose of it safely & properly.
1. Pick up a FREE sharps disposal container at the Boone County Health Department.
2. Fill the container with sharps only.
3. Return the Container back to the Boone Co. Health Dept. They will dispose of it safely & properly.
Why Recycle Plastic Shopping Bags?
¨ Bags typically litter our streets & waterways ¨ Plastic bags take 100s of years to decompose in landfills ¨ Plastic bags can be recycled into many useful products such as sweatshirts, composite decking, bags & more! |
8,600 bags collected the week of November 16-20, 2015
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REUSE Heart & Sole - Annual Shoe Collection
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The District sponsors an annual REUSE Heart & Sole program the week around Valentine’s Day. REUSE Heart & Sole is a District wide shoe collection event where we can provide shoes to a new pair of feet!
We typically don’t think much about our shoes. We outgrow them, wear them out, or change styles without much thought as to what happens when we discard them. The truth is that discarded shoes can take over 200 years to decompose in a landfill which is a shame when there are so many people in need of shoes locally and all over the world.
In past collections, we have had schools, libraries & other organizations participate as collection locations. If you are interested in hosting a collection spot, please contact the District office. The District supports Changing Footprints, a Central Indiana non-profit that redistributes shoes to those in need all over Central Indiana.
We typically don’t think much about our shoes. We outgrow them, wear them out, or change styles without much thought as to what happens when we discard them. The truth is that discarded shoes can take over 200 years to decompose in a landfill which is a shame when there are so many people in need of shoes locally and all over the world.
In past collections, we have had schools, libraries & other organizations participate as collection locations. If you are interested in hosting a collection spot, please contact the District office. The District supports Changing Footprints, a Central Indiana non-profit that redistributes shoes to those in need all over Central Indiana.
During the 2016 collection, Perry Worth Elementary collected 515 pairs of shoes. To reward their efforts, the District purchased their school a recycled plastic bench.
