Long Island, NY - March 1, 2017 - On Feb. 13, three teams of ECOs visited health care facilities throughout Long Island where they collected 660 pounds of expired medications during the third DEC Long Island Pharmaceutical Take-Back Day. At least 24 Nassau and Suffolk county health care facilities participated in the program.
ECOs collect and responsibly destroy unused or expired prescription drugs. In the past, many of these facilities flushed the medications down the drain to dispose of them. Flushing pills can contaminate drinking water sources, and pharmaceuticals have been detected in New York State waterways.
ECOs Alena Lawston and Jordan Doroski collected from eastern Suffolk facilities. Lt. Tom Gadomski and ECO Kaitlin Grady collected from western Suffolk facilities. ECOs Tim Fay and Chris DeRose collected from the Nassau facilities. After completing their stops, the three teams met at Covanta, a waste disposal facility in Westbury, where the pharmaceuticals were destroyed by incineration.