Bay Area Medication Disposal Study 2009:
An Inventory of Household Pharmaceutical Waste
The Bay Area Medication Disposal Study evaluates the quantities and types of household pharmaceuticals disposed as well as the comprehensive evaluation of the household take-back systems currently operating in the nine counties of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Research Data on Unused Medicine
During the first year of the Green Pharmacy program, our pilot sites collected detailed data on returned medicines through the Unused & Expired Medicine Registry, a program developed by the Community Medical Foundation for Patient Safety. Data collection reveals which pharmaceuticals are most often unused, quantifies the monetary value of wasted medicines, and demonstrates environmental hazard.
Read our Preliminary Data Report >>

Managing Unused and Unwanted Pharmaceuticals in a Hospice Setting:
A Pilot Study
Five hundred prepaid mailers were distributed directly to the entire nursing staff at the Sutter VNA facility in Concord, CA. All mailers contained specific instructions on how to return unused medications, as well as information regarding limitations of the mail back system for the disposal of controlled substances. Nurses were educated about the nature of pharmaceutical waste in the environment and the current regulations for handling consumer pharmaceutical waste. The research will be used to prevent the accumulation of pharmaceuticals of hospice patients.