City of Jerseyville and Illinois American Water Partner on Pharmaceutical Disposal Program

Residents can properly dispose of unwanted medications at Jerseyville Police Department

JERSEYVILLE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Illinois American Water and the City of Jerseyville have partnered to implement a permanent pharmaceutical disposal program in Jerseyville. Illinois American Water donated the pharmaceutical drop box, which was installed at the Jerseyville Police Department, located at 200 S. Jefferson Street in Jerseyville.

Residents are encouraged to drop off their unwanted medications so they can be incinerated, which is the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recommended approach for pharmaceutical disposal. Flushing medications down the toilet or the drain as well as throwing them in the trash are discouraged.

“This program is a great opportunity for Jerseyville residents to stop by the Police Department and securely drop off any unused or expired medications,” said Chief of Police Brad Blackorby. “It’s important for us to keep these items not only out of our landfills and water supplies, but also out of the hands of our youth.”

The Jerseyville pharmaceutical disposal program is one of several supported through Illinois American Water’s initiatives. “Our goal is to establish a greatly expanded network of secure pharmaceutical collection centers throughout the state,” said Jennifer Doody, senior supervisor of operations for the Jerseyville service area.

Through collaboration with local pharmacies, police departments and government officials, Illinois American Water has implemented and supported over 30 pharmaceutical disposal programs from the Chicago Metro area to Waterloo. These programs are included in the Illinois EPA’s medication disposal map here https://tinyurl.com/6ycvzcxj.

The pharmaceutical disposal program model was developed by Pontiac High School students and their teacher Paul Ritter. The program, P2D2, has been recognized by Illinois EPA and the Department of Natural Resources. In addition, the Drug Enforcement Agency sponsors an annual National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Through all of these efforts, hundreds of thousands of pounds of unwanted medications have been properly disposed.

About Illinois American Water - Illinois American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 1.3 million people. American Water also operates a customer service center in Alton and a quality control and research laboratory in Belleville. With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 7,000 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to 15 million people in 46 states. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to help make sure we keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.