Here is an editorial from the Bangor Daily News out of Maine. It addresses the steps that Maine has taken to try to limit drugs from being flushed or thrown out.
In 2004, the Maine Legislature passed a bill creating an unused pharmaceuticals disposal program. In 2007, the University of Maine's Center on Aging received a $150,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for a prescription drug mail-back pilot program. Prepaid mailers were made available to the public through pharmacies and medical clinics. Unused drugs were to be put into the mailers, which went to the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency where pharmacists tabulated what types of drugs are being discarded. The drugs were then sent to a hazardous waste incinerator.
