Project Rx making headway, changes collection day schedule
April 2, 2015
GREENVILLE, SC – There will be no Project Rx: A River Remedy collection day this spring and that is a good thing for the community.
Project Rx is a community collaboration established in 2010 to protect Upstate rivers and residents by properly disposing of unused medication, said Ashley Rhinehart, public relations coordinator for Renewable Water Resources (ReWa). More than 10,000 pounds of expired and unused medications were kept from the rivers through the collection days over the past five years.
However, Project Rx partners have seen a growth in people utilizing the permanent medication drop box located at the Greenville Law Enforcement Center. In addition, legislation has been changed to allow distributors of medications to provide a disposal method, an additional opportunity for the community that hasn’t been available in the past. These changes led to the decision to not hold a spring collection day this year.
“Our community members were receptive to the permanent drop box, and discovered that a year round and convenient option was available” Rhinehart said. “We consider that a major victory for preserving our waterways.”
While the spring event won’t happen this year, a fall collection date is set for September to increase awareness of medication residuals in waterways, and the educational portion of the campaign will continue to grow as these changes are made, Rhinehart said. Organizers felt keeping one collection day per year was needed to reinforce the message of proper disposal for environmental protection. In addition, organizers encourage people to continue using the permanent deposit site.
“Project Rx is about raising awareness of the proper disposal of medication and keeping it from reaching our local waterways,” Rhinehart said. “The collection days are one way of telling that story, and we believe people have learned the importance of proper disposal over the past five years.”
About Project Rx
Since 2010, Project Rx has collected more than 10,000 pounds. of unused medication. Partners of the Project Rx coalition include Renewable Water Resources (ReWa), Bon Secours St. Francis Health System, Greenville Family Partnership, Carolinas Institute for Community Policing, Greenville County Medical Society, Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Upstate Forever. More information on Project Rx and proper drug disposal is located at www.ariverremedy.org.
