Managing Pharmaceutical Waste
Welcome! Pharmaceuticals are an important part of maintaining human
health. But compounds in pharmaceuticals with therapeutic benefits for
humans at the right doses can be pollutants in the environment.
Ecology is helping health care facilities improve the way they dispose
of pharmaceutical waste to prevent it from entering the environment.
A
new Ecology policy simplifies how health care facilities can comply with
state regulations and it clarifies compliance standards. Read the
new
policy.
The information on this page is for medical facilities. In the future we
may add pages for other groups that generate waste pharmaceuticals.
Medical facilities will find information on best management practices
for pharmaceuticals and what disposal options are for this waste. Some
pharmaceuticals are excluded from regulation if they meet certain
criteria and if they are incinerated.
Please use the “Feedback” button to ask questions, suggest changes or
additions to this web page, and to let us know what other topics you
want to know about.
The purpose of this web page is to help you get information and
resources to manage your pharmaceutical waste in a way that protects
human health and the environment.
The Department of Ecology would like to thank the following groups for
their assistance:
The
Washington State Department of Health Board of Pharmacy
The US Drug Enforcement Administration
The Medical Industry
Waste Prevention Roundtable
King County Local Hazardous Waste Management Program staff
