April 28th Drug Take-Back Event Wins National Award- Project Rx: A River Remedy Recognized for Public Service
April 19, 2012
GREENVILLE, SC – April 19, 2012 – The National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) recently recognized the drug take-back event Project Rx: A River Remedy with the 2012 Public Service Award.
The Public Service recognition is one of NACWA’s National Environmental Achievement Awards, which annually recognize individuals and agencies that have made outstanding contributions to environmental protection and wastewater management.
Project Rx: A River Remedy was started in 2010 as a preventative measure to address pharmaceutical pollution in our waterways. Renewable Water Resources (ReWa), the local wastewater treatment provider for Greenville County, was one of the founding members, along with the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, Greenville Family Partnership and Greenville Technical College.
This taskforce, now joined by Bon Secours St. Francis Health System and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, along with many supporting organizations, continues its efforts as they launch the fourth drug take-back event on Saturday, April 28th from 10am to 2pm at multiple Upstate locations.
Collectively, these public service events have properly disposed of more than 2,500 lbs of unwanted medication, which both alleviates pollution from pouring or flushing down the drain, as well as reduces the potential for accidental poisoning or teen abuse from leaving the medication in the home.
The Project Rx taskforce plans to continue these events semi-annually until legislation is passed that would permit a more permanent solution in South Carolina. The public service events are funded by taskforce contributions, community sponsorships and in-kind donations.
Project Rx: A River Remedy
Project Rx: A River Remedy is a local collaboration of community organizations united to help keep our rivers and residents safe from unused medications. Founded in 2010, Project Rx pulls together community resources to hold take-back events semi-annually. As a safe alternative to flushing unwanted medications down the drain, or leaving them at home within the reach of the wrong hands, this program allows Upstate residents to bring prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, vitamins, supplements and even veterinary medications for FREE and SAFE disposal with local enforcement…the perfect remedy for our community.
