On August 31, the EPA Administrator signed a proposed rule under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) that would significantly improve hazardous waste pharmaceutical disposal practices for healthcare facilities, pharmacies and reverse distributors. According to EPA’s summary, the proposed Management Standards for Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals rule “will make our drinking and surface water safer and healthier by reducing the amount of pharmaceuticals entering our waterways [and] is projected to prevent the flushing of more than 6,400 tons of hazardous waste pharmaceuticals annually by banning healthcare facilities from flushing hazardous waste pharmaceuticals down the sink and toilet.”
EPA will be taking comments on the proposal for 60 days after publication in the Federal Register, which is expected within the next several weeks. A pre-publication Federal Register notice and additional information on pharmaceutical disposal requirements are accessible through EPA’s Management Standards for Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals webpage.