National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day

The Drug Enforcement Administration will be hosting its fourth National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on Saturday, April 28 from 10am to 2pm.

Photo courtesy of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The event allows people to bring unwanted or unused prescription drugs they have accumulated to drop-off points, knowing the drugs will be disposed of in a safe and environmentally appropriate way.

The DEA’s last event, on Oct. 29, 2011, collected more than 377,086 pounds of prescription drugs from more than 5,000 participating locations in the U.S.

Participating locations are Valleywide. To find a location near you, visit the Collection Site Locator.

If you are unable to make it to the Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, the Food and Drug Administration offers suggestions for safe disposal of drugs:

• Take them out of their original containers and mix them with an undesirable substance, like used coffee grounds or kitty litter.
• Put them in a sealable bag or other container so they don’t leak.
• Before throwing away the medicine container, make sure all the information is scratched off, to protect your identity.
• If you are unsure about anything, call your pharmacist for advice.

— Erin Saltzman

Learn more

Time to clean out the medicine cabinet!

Recycle outdated car seats, for safety’s sake

Phoenix Children’s Hospital will hold its fourth annual Keep Our Planet Neat, Recycle Your Car Seat Demolition event on Friday, April 20.

The event will be held from 7am until noon in the north parking lot at Tempe Marketplace.

“Car seats do a great job protecting children, but at the end of the seat’s life they contain many materials that could be recycled,” says Angelica M. Baker, child safety passenger coordinator at PCH. “Plastic car seats break down over time – especially in the Arizona sun. The harness can actually break through the car seat if a car seat is used past its expiration date.”

Garage sales and trash cans are not the answer to unwanted, old car seats – de-manufacturing and recycling is, says Baker, who reminds parents to never use a car seat that has been in a moderate to severe vehicle crash.

Miss Arizona 2012, Jennifer Sedler, and volunteers will be at the event to dismantle hundreds of car seats. All plastic parts and metal items will be recycled.

PCH also will have trained technicians on hand to conduct free car seat checks. and answer any questions about car seat installations and car seat safety.

Learn more.

Glendale Green Festival

I was in the Glendale Library yesterday and saw this exhibit by Water Use it Wisely showing what 136 gallon jugs looks like stacked into a pyramid. This is how much water each person uses every day.

It was part of an exhibit promoting the Glendale Green Festival, which will be held from noon to 4pm Saturday, March 31 at Glendale Main Library and Xeriscape Demonstration Garden, 5959 W. Brown in Glendale.

The festival will have information and activities for families on being energy efficient and environmentally smart. Glendale residents can get free energy-saving devices like programmable thermostats, high-efficiency shower heads and a 4-pack of CFLs. — Daniel Friedman