Greener Pharmaceutical Waste Disposal

By Michael Zaccaro,
Founder and President of Pharma Logistics

Ever wonder what happens to the pharmaceutical products we receive that aren’t returnable for credit? They become waste. There’s no way around it. I’ve heard that the entire pharmaceutical industry disposes of about 16 million pounds of pharmaceutical waste a year. Not every reverse distributor thinks much about where the waste ends up, but at Pharma Logistics, we’re committed to green pharmaceutical waste disposal.

Every single week, our team fills a semi-truck with about 24,000 pounds of nonhazardous pharmaceutical waste and takes it to Covanta Energy in Indianapolis, Ind., for incineration. That’s an easy drive from our warehouse in Mundelein, Ill. Covanta Energy sells the steam from the incineration process to a utility that converts it into power for local homes. We’re glad we found a way to put the waste to good use. Pretty cool, really.

In addition to green pharmaceutical waste disposal, we recycle all our corrugated cardboard and make efforts to conserve energy in our facility. Plus, the entire pharmaceutical returns process itself is a green effort. We’re doing our part to keep expired pharmaceuticals out of landfills and waterways. It’s an important process, and Pharma Logistics is a green partner you can feel good about working with.

Contact us anytime to learn more about pharmaceutical waste disposal.