In 2004, a coalition of local and state governments, and non-profits, (which includes the Washington Board of Pharmacy, the King County Local Hazardous Waste Program, Snohomish County Solid Waste Management Division, the Northwest Product Stewardship Council, Seattle-King County Public Health, and the Washington Department of Ecology) began work on the issue of waste pharmaceuticals from households. This effort came directly out of the awareness generated by the work the Interagency Regulatory Analysis Committee (IRAC) did on the conditional exclusion for state-only dangerous waste pharmaceuticals WAC 173-303-071(nn). It was further spurred by the knowledge that pharmaceuticals were being found in streams and rivers as shown in the USGS study. As before, a variety of regulations needed to be identified, understood, and addressed before any solution for proper disposal of pharmaceuticals could be implemented.

The coalition, named PH:ARM or Pharmaceuticals from Households:  A Return Mechanism) recognized the need to create an easy to use system that would keep unwanted medicines out of the environment without relying on household hazardous waste facilities. After looking at different take-back programs around the country and the world, we designed the PH:ARM pilot. PH:ARM, modeled after B.C., Canada’s take-back program,  allows consumers to return their medicines to the pharmacy.  We had to exclude controlled substances because at this time the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) does not allow a patient to return them to a pharmacist. (However, we have applied for an exclusion that will eventually allow us to collect controlled substances.)

In 2005, two Washington State businesses, Group Health Cooperative and Bartell Drugs, came forward and volunteered to participate in the pilot development and collection.  We also gained two leaders in producer responsibility and pollution prevention:  Washington Citizens for Resource Conservation and the NW Pollution Prevention Resource Center. Additionally, Department of Social and Health Services joined forces with us in 2006 to help PH:ARM with the challenges at nursing homes, adult family homes, and boarding homes.

We’ve received key financial support from grants from Group Health Foundation, the Russell Family Foundation, the Public Information and Education (PIE) Puget Sound Action Team fund, the King County Waterworks grant, Local Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County Voucher Program, a Coordinated Prevention Grant of Snohomish County Solid Waste Management Division, and Seattle Public Utilities. This funding is covering development costs, research, supplies, and transportation and disposal of the collected medications. Additional funding is needed for 2008.

In November 2006, we launched the first phase of our pilot at seven Group Health locations across the state:  Burien, Renton, Redmond, Spokane, Everett, Olympia, and Silverdale. As of March 2007, we have collected 650 pounds of unwanted medicines, with little or no advertising!

Finally, longer-term sustainability is a key component of the project. We need ongoing take-back locations at pharmacies, as well as manufacturer support. It is our intention to bring pharmaceutical manufacturers on as partners that will eventually establish and fund an on-going program in Washington State. With this in mind, we participated in the Product Stewardship Council’s national dialogue with pharmaceutical manufacturers in the winter of 2006. Also, locally, the Northwest Product Stewardship Council began discussions with pharmaceutical manufacturers in spring of 2007. Only with manufacturer participation and funding can an ongoing program be feasible for the citizens of Washington State.