California Association of Sanitation Agencies

The disposal of medications (also known as pharmaceuticals) into our water system has become a growing environmental concern. The age-old habit of “flushing them down the toilet” is not good for the environment. According to the 2009 Journal of Environmental Management, scientists have established pharmaceuticals as nearly ubiquitous pollutants in both ground and surface waters. Pharmaceuticals are difficult to remove from the wastewater stream because medicines come in a variety of chemical structures, each requiring different treatment methods. Pharmaceuticals from hospitals, nursing homes, veterinary clinics, households and pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities arrive daily in California’s wastewater treatment plants.

• Reasons Behind the Program
• Medication in the Environment (video)
• EPA Public Service Announcement (video)
• Brochure from Central Contra Costa Sanitary District
• Flier from Western Municipal Water District