It is important to understand that when medications are flushed down the toilet or poured down the drain, they flow through the sewer system to local wastewater treatment facilities. Proper disposal of unused medications can help protect and maintain the health of our environment.

A Few Steps Can Help Keep Our Environment Healthy

Follow your medication providers’ instructions and use all medications as instructed. If you do not use all of your prescribed or over-the-counter medication, you can take a few steps to make an impact in protecting the environment by disposing of unused medicines properly:

1. DO NOT FLUSH unused medications and DO NOT POUR them down a sink or drain.
2. Be proactive and dispose of unused medication in household trash to ensure you protect children and pets from potentially negative effects.
3. Check with your pharmacy or veterinary clinic for approved local take-back programs for unused medications.

A Final Note from AWWU

Maintenance of the sewer system and wastewater treatment plants is expensive, especially if materials that don’t belong in the sewer are flushed into the drain. You can help keep costs down and help keep our water resources clean by disposing of materials properly. Public awareness will help AWWU to protect and maintain the health of our environment. With help from Anchorage residents we can continue to preserve the vitality and beauty of Cook Inlet.