Over Ten Tons of Old Medicines Destroyed

For one year, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Covanta Energy have been destroying discarded medication.

They announced Friday the result of the partnership: so far, over 20,000 pounds of pharmaceutical drugs have been collected from drop-off containers around the state.

It’s part of the Bureau’s effort to prevent prescription drug abuse by encouraging citizens not to leave old medications in their homes.

“I believe in the spirit of the Olympics we should receive a gold medal with this partnership,” OBN Director Darrel Weaver said. “We’ll never know how many lives we have saved in Oklahoma because of this operation.”

He says that recently, the Bureau has seen a 137 percent increase in drug overdose deaths. Of those, 80 percent were prescription drugs.

Partnering with Covanta allows the OBN to dispose of the drugs while keeping contaminants out of any water sources.

“This has been a seamless process,” Weaver said.

Click above to hear Matt Newman with Covanta speak at today’s announcement.