Covanta, a world-leader in energy and sustainable waste solutions, recently gained deserved recognition for the secure and safe method of disposal and destruction of expired and unwanted medication—a critical need that America currently has no standard protocol for doing.
Through the recent receipt of the 2018 Sustainability, Environmental Achievement & Leadership (SEAL) award, specifically for their Prescription for Safety program (Rx4Safety), Covanta’s achievement of disposing over five million pounds of unwanted drugs and medications gains public acknowledgment and appreciation. Through drug collection events held by municipalities, community groups and law enforcement agencies, Covanta offers an accessible alternative to improper disposal of medication, such as flushing it down a toilet that damages the ecosystem and poisons waterways.
Rx4Safety mitigates this as well as opioid-related drug overdoses by giving people community-sponsored drug take-back programs that create renewable energy in the process thanks to Energy-from-Waste facilities. Between all of these systems, the destruction of unwanted or expired medication saves the environment as well as creating energy for homes and households.
“Through a broad range of partnerships—including federal, state and local police forces, state-level administrators and environmental groups—we’ve helped build a powerful coalition to address a serious social and environmental concern,” said Covanta’s chief sustainability officer, Dr. Paul Gilman. “These partnerships have enabled us to make substantial progress in eliminating pharmaceuticals from improper use and disposal in the communities we serve.”
The SEAL Awards launched in 2017 in order to annually recognize environmental progress through leadership just like Covanta’s efforts. The Award’s core beliefs say that environmental progress needs leadership, and those leaders deserve recognition.
