Often pharmacies and other distributors find themselves with medical products nearing their expiration date. If drugs are held in a facilities storage room unused it is easy to forget about them until they are far passed expiration and too old to return for credit.

Two significant contributors of pharmaceutical waste that makes it into the environment comes from human excretion and improper waste disposal of commercial chemical waste, including pharmaceuticals. While we may have limited control over the excretion of pharmaceuticals, we do have considerable control over the proper handling and disposal of chemicals in our environment. Commercial facilities that generate pharmaceutical waste must comply with federal and state laws that enforce better waste m...