Contact:

Helen Domske, NY Sea Grant, P: 716-645-3610, E: hmd4@cornell.edu

Buffalo, NY, September 29, 2012 - It’s time for another National Prescription Drug Take Back Day -- Saturday, September 29th, 2012, and New York Sea Grant coastal educators are encouraging New York residents to participate in the opportunity to properly dispose of unwanted or unused prescription drugs to keep the pharmaceuticals out of the Great Lakes.

“Each day through improper disposal of pharmaceuticals and personal care products we add unwanted toxins to the finite system of freshwater that is the Great Lakes,” says New York Sea Grant Coastal Education Specialist Helen Domske, Buffalo, NY. We want people to stop flushing them down the toilet or the drain.”

Domske is the author of “Undo the Environmental Chemical Brew: Keep Unwanted Medications & Chemicals Out of the Great Lakes.” The four-page primer, produced by the New York, Illinois-Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania Sea Grant programs with funding through the E.P.A. Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, tells consumers how they can keep pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PCPs) out of surface waters and why it is critical to do so.

The pamphlet is online at www.nyseagrant.org/unwantedmeds.

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day collection site locations are found online (click here) and include most local police agencies.

New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York, is one of 33 university-based programs under the National Sea Grant College Program (NSGCP) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This network also includes a National Sea Grant Law Center and National Sea Grant Library. Through its statewide network of integrated services, NYSG has been promoting coastal vitality, environmental sustainability, and citizen awareness about the State’s marine and Great Lakes resources since 1971. For updates on New York Sea Grant activities, www.nyseagrant.org has RSS, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube links. NYSG also offers a free e-list sign-up via www.nyseagrant.org/nycoastlines for NY Coastlines, its flagship publication, and Currents, its e-newsletter supplement, each distributed 3-4 times a year.