How to dispose of unwanted drugs
Improper disposal of expired prescription medications are a public safety issue and expired evidence and illicit drugs collected by law enforcement agencies need to regularly be eliminated. Without proper disposal, these drugs can lead to accidental poisoning, misuse, and overdose. Proper disposal of these collected and expired prescription and evidence drugs can save lives and help protect the environment.
Elastec manufactures batch load incinerators that are effective in reducing the amount of drugs collected during take-back programs or stored in evidence lockers. The Elastec Drug Terminator and MediBurn have been used by many law enforcement agencies, municipalities, and organizations performing drug take-back programs.
The controlled destruction of confiscated illicit drugs stored for evidence by law enforcement agencies is mandated by the Uniform Controlled Substances Act and is enforced by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Federal and state hazardous waste rules and regulations, enforced by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), must be followed when using a barrel burner to dispose of impounded drugs.
The Elastec Drug Terminator
The Drug Terminator incinerator makes it easy for law enforcement agencies to dispose of the stockpile of illicit drugs and narcotics that have collected in their evidence lockers. Disposing of these drugs on-site helps eliminate the cost of transportation to an incinerator facility by reducing travel time and manpower needs.
The Drug Terminator is a cyclonic barrel burner that destroys drugs by injecting them into a cyclone of fire. The intense heat creates a clean, smoke-free burn, leaving only 1% to 3% ash on average. Needles and other paraphernalia are also sterilized during the process. It features an easy-feed cartridge system and is easily moved from one location to another on a dolly-like cart.
The Elastec MediBurn
The MediBurn is available for municipalities or law enforcement agencies that regularly dispose of larger amounts of collected prescriptions, expired evidence drugs, or general waste. It is a diesel-fueled incinerator that operates by using dual-chamber combustion. The MediBurn reaches temperatures in excess of 1000ºC / 1832ºF and is able to eliminate larger amounts of waste-reducing it to just 3% ash.
It features easy to operate controls with an automatic four-stage burn cycle. It only requires diesel fuel, an electrical outlet, and minimal training. Simply load waste into the chamber, close the door and turn on the unit.
Drug Drop-Off Boxes
Elastec also manufactures drug drop-off boxes that can be used in conjunction with either our Drug Terminator or MediBurn for take-back programs. The boxes can be set up at locations to collect expired and unused prescription drugs so that they can safely be incinerated. Our drug drop-off boxes can be painted or wrapped with graphics to suit the needs of your location. Each box has a lockable deposit door, retrieval door for emptying, and 4 bolt anchor holes in the base.
40 CFR 60.2887 – What combustion units are excluded from this subpart
“(p) Units that combust contraband or prohibited goods. Your incineration unit is excluded if the unit is owned or operated by a government agency such as police, customs, agricultural inspection, or a similar agency to destroy only illegal or prohibited goods such as illegal drugs, or agricultural food products that can not be transported into the country or across State lines to prevent biocontamination. The exclusion does not apply to items either confiscated or incinerated by private, industrial, or commercial entities.”