City Programs Receive Governor's Environmental Stewardship Awards

August 26, 2010 - The City of Knoxville and its partners in the Knox-Area Medication
Collection Program hosted one of its biggest Unwanted Medicines Collections and Used Mercury
Thermometer Exchanges last Saturday at Mercy Medical Center North.

"We collected over 400 pounds of medications and exchanged 271 thermometers," said John
Homa, the city's Solid Waste Project Manager, "Which is an exceptional result. We had 285
participants so it was a really good event."

The collection and exchange took place between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., August 21, at the medical
center just off Emory Road.

Homa said that typically the exchanges – there are about four a year – take in roughly 200
pounds of unused or expired medications.

"I think some of it (the increase) was because the Hallsdale-Powell Utility District included an
insert about the collection with some of their customer bills," he said.

Hallsdale-Powell is one of the sponsors of the events, which offer residents an opportunity to
turn in unwanted and/or outdated and expired prescription medications, over the counter
medications and used mercury thermometers for proper disposal.

A free digital thermometer is given in exchange for the mercury thermometers.

The goal of the unwanted medicines collection is to prevent pharmaceutical and over the
counter products from getting into the water supply – or into the hands of children – and to
make sure they are disposed of in a safe, environmentally friendly manner.

It is part of nationwide effort to reduce the amount of drugs and over the counter products
including fragrances, sunscreen products and nutritional supplements that are entering water
systems.

In addition to the City of Knoxville's Public Service Division and the Hallsdale-Powell Utility
District other sponsors include the Knox County Solid Waste Office, Knoxville Police
Department, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, UT Academy of Student
Pharmacists, KUB and the Knox County Health Department.

Recently the Knox-Area Medication Collection Program received a Governor's Environmental
Stewardship Award from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. The
City of Knoxville's Stormwater Engineering Division was also part of another joint effort that
received a Governor's Environmental Stewardship Award, the Water Quality Forum's Rainy Day
Brush-Off.

The Rainy Day Brush-Off featured the work of local artists who transformed 55-gallon rain
barrels into works of art to raise awareness about water conservation and pollution. Artists
created more than 50 of the painted barrels and their sale has raised thousands of dollars to
support the Water Quality Forum's efforts.

The program received the Governor's Award in the Environmental Education and Outreach
category.

For more information about any of these programs please contact John Homa, City of Knoxville
Solid Waste Project Manager, at 215-2872.