DAVENPORT, Iowa–Area residents can safely dispose of old medications, exchange mercury thermometers for a digital, drop off compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs and mercury thermostats, pick up and drop off medical sharps containers, have data-sensitive documents shredded, and new this year, drop off new and gently used home health equipment and supplies during Operation Medicine Cabinet, September 20-22, 2012.
Operation Medicine Cabinet will be in Eldridge, Bettendorf and Davenport from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the following locations:
• Thursday, September 20 at Medic EMS Facility, LeClaire Road & Highway 61, Eldridge
• Friday, September 21 at Surrey Heights Fire Station, 5002 Crow Creek Road, Bettendorf
• Saturday, September 22 at Scott Area Recycling Center, 5640 Carey Avenue, Davenport
Operation Medicine Cabinet events are free of charge and open to residents of eastern Iowa and western Illinois. Business waste will not be accepted at these events. Following is additional information and guidelines about each type of item that will be collected.
Medications
Properly disposing of pharmaceuticals and medications reduces the risk of mis-medication, accidental poisoning, theft, drug abuse and pollution of our waterways & groundwater caused by flushing. At the event:
• Prescription and non-prescription drugs will be accepted
• Medications can be left in original containers
• Scott County law-enforcement officials supervise the disposal of all materials
Document Shredding
Document Destruction and Recycling Services is providing secure document shredding to reduce the risk of identity theft. During the event, documents are kept in locked containers and then transported to their secure, certified facility for shredding. At the event:
• Documents for shredding should be in bags or cardboard boxes; containers will not be returned
• Only paper documents will be accepted for shredding
• Staples and paperclips in paper documents are acceptable
• Binders and metal rings in paper documents are not acceptable
Medical Sharps
Medical sharps, such as needles, lancets and syringes should not be thrown into the regular trash, as this poses a safety threat to children, pets and refuse collection & landfill employees. At the event:
• Sharps for disposal must be in a sealed, rigid container
• New red, rigid Sharps containers will be provided to customers upon request
Mercury-Containing Items
Items containing mercury, such as thermometers, thermostats and compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs should not be thrown in the trash due to health and environmental concerns. At the event:
• Mercury thermometers, thermostats and CFLs must be packaged to prevent breakage
• Only one digital thermometer will be given per household
Home Health Equipment and Supplies
Habitat for Humanity ReStore recently opened a Health & Home division with a goal of diverting usable health products from area landfills and providing affordable home health equipment for those with health issues. Items that will be accepted at the event include :
• Canes
• Crutches
• Hand grips
• Packaged supplies that are unopened or not expired (bandage items, diapers, ostomy supplies, tubing, boots, slings)
• Shower chairs
• Vision magnifiers & other aids for low vision
• Walker baskets
• Wheelchairs
ReStore Health & Home accepts other medical supplies and equipment at their store. For more information, visit www.restoreqc.org or call (563) 349-7339.
This event is sponsored by: City of Bettendorf, Bettendorf Police Department, Davenport Police Department, Document Destruction and Recycling Services, Generations Area Agency on Aging, Habitat ReStore Health & Home, Iowa American Water, Medic EMS, Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), Scott County Health Department, Scott County Sheriff's Office, Waste Commission of Scott County and Western Illinois Area Agency on Aging.
For additional information about the event, call Waste Commission of Scott County at (563) 381-1300 or visit www.wastecom.com.
This is the seventh annual Operation Medicine Cabinet. Last year's event served 1,275 households and yielded 18,805 pounds of material and 1,497 mercury-containing devices. This included approximately 1,711 pounds of pharmaceuticals, 831 pounds of sharps, 16,263 pounds of documents for shredding and 200 mercury thermometers, 21 mercury thermostats and 1,276 mercury-containing light bulbs.
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