Requires drug manufacturers to collect unused and expired drugs from hospitals and residential health care facilities for safe disposal

Summary of provisions

The bill prohibits the disposal of any drug by hospitals and residential health care facilities as mixed solid waste in a landfill; and only allows drug disposal through a drug collection program established by this bill. The bill would create a drug collection program which would be the responsibility of drug manufacturers who market their drugs in NYS. Each manufacturer would be responsible for all costs and the security of its drug collection program.

Manufacturers would be authorized to contract with a public or private third party to conduct the drug collection program, but all costs would be borne by the manufacturer No fees could be charged to hospitals and residential health care facilities for drug collection. Such facilities would be required to dispose of all unused and expired drugs through the drug collection programs. Manufacturers would be required to dispose of all collected drugs in an environmentally sound manner, pursuant to rules and regulations promulgated by the Department of Health. All manufacturers would be required to report bi-annually to the DEC on their drug collection programs.

Justification

Health care facilities have been using guidance from the Department of Health that requires disposal of unwanted and expired drugs by flushing them This process has contributed to the contamination of the State's waters, because municipal treatment plants are not capable of removing these chemicals. Many recent studies have demonstrated that drinking water is being contaminated with common medications. The presence of medications creates a serious public health problem, with the exposure to drugs by the general population, most importantly our infants and young children.

The Federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) exempts household waste (including prescription and OTC drugs) from hazardous waste regulations. Furthermore, EPA has made clear that reverse distributors may not accept already dispensed medication as part of that waste stream. However, individual states may determine that drugs are hazardous wastes and must be managed as such.

The creation of drug collection programs by manufacturers would immediately stop the dangerous drug disposal practices of hospitals

and residential health care facilities, There have been successful drug collection programs such as those in the State of Washington (4 years; Alberta Province, Canada (12 years); the Wisconsin Clean Sweep which funds local municipal drug collection programs; the EPA Great Lakes Earth Day Challenge of 2008; and those in Cumberland County, PA; Salt Lake City, UT; the Price Chopper 2008 collection program; and other programs in locations across the country.

New York has implemented several "voluntary" drug collection programs The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation lists New York's Western Region, Central and Finger Lakes Region, Upper Hudson Valley, Southeastern and Catskills, Western Adirondacks, Eastern Adirondacks, and Long Island as having drug collections sites.

As important as these events are, they are not a replacement for an on-going, comprehensive collection effort to prevent unwanted and expired drugs from hospitals and residential health care facilities from ending up in our water, These facilities use significant quantities of drugs, which are not being properly handled when they expire or are no longer useful It is time to act now to eliminate this significant threat to public health and our environment.

Legislative history

Previously introduced.

Fiscal implications for state and local governments

DEC would be responsible to promulgate any necessary rules and regulations, to assure compliance with the requirements of this bill, and to accept the biannual reports from manufacturers.

Effective date

The act would take effect on the first day of January next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.