The Great Neck Water Pollution Control District recently hosted its most successful Shed the Meds event since the initiative was started four years ago. A steady stream of traffic drove through the contactless drive-thru site—amounting to 209 cars that collectively dropped off 563 pounds of unused or expired pharmaceuticals as well as 12.5 full containers of medical sharps (EpiPens, needles, etc.). In fact, the district has now collected more than one ton of unused and unwanted pharmaceuticals since the program began in 2017.
“Despite the challenges presented by the pandemic, more members of the community came out to the district to bring their expired and unused medications in order to properly dispose of them than ever before,” Great Neck Water Pollution Control District Chairman Steve Reiter, said. “With over 200 cars passing through our contactless drive-thru, it continues to be seen that the community’s residents are environmentally-conscious and that the program is still picking up momentum since its inception four years ago.”
The biannual event, hosted in partnership with Reach Out America, Great Neck Breast Cancer Coalition, North Shore Action, Nassau County Police, Northwell Health and the Key Club at Great Neck North High School, aims at protecting local water sources and raising awareness of the dangers of flushing pharmaceuticals down the toilet.
Several of the area’s elected officials visited the event and dropped off some pharmaceuticals of their own, including New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, Great Neck Park Commissioner Tina Stellato, Village of Thomaston Mayor Steven Weinberg and County Legislator Ellen Birnbaum.
“It is wonderful to see the gratitude on the faces of our residents as they continue to support this event year after year,” Commissioner Patty Katz said. “Their feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, and the district will continue this event in the future while also spearheading other initiatives focused on protecting our environment and preserving our water for generations to come.”
For additional information and updates about the Great Neck Water Pollution Control District, visit www.gnwpcd.net to sign up for email newsletters or call 516-482-0238.
—Submitted by the Great Neck Water Pollution Control District
