Scientific disposal of pharmaceutical waste in Kerala

Why in news?

• Kerala Drugs Control Department is going to launch the ‘nPROUD’ (New Programme for Removal of Unused Drugs) initiative
• With this, Kerala is going to become the first state in India to scientifically arrange for the collection and disposal of expired and unused medicines at the domestic level.

About nPROUD:  

This program will be started as a pilot project in Kozhikode Corporation and Ulliyeri Panchayat (District Kozhikode) and then it will be implemented across the state.

Step 1: Domestic Collection

• Officials will go door-to-door and collect unused medicines at the scheduled time.

Step 2: Permanent Collection Centers

• Special blue dustbins will be installed at public places, where citizens can put their unused medicines.

Step 3: Coordination with local bodies

• Haritha Karma Sena (Green Task Force) and local self-government bodies will play a key role in the collection process.

Safe disposal of waste:-

• The collected medicines will be sent to Kerala Enviro Infrastructure Limited (KEIL), a waste treatment facility approved by the state and central environmental authorities.
• This will ensure that the pharmaceutical waste is disposed of in accordance with environmental standards and legal provisions.

Why is safe disposal of medicines needed?

• Unscientific disposal of expired and unused medicines can cause serious environmental and health hazards.
• Improper disposal of unused medicines:- Most people throw medicines in the garbage or flush them down drains, which leads to soil and water sources.
• Impact on health:- Such pollution increases antimicrobial resistance (AMR), making infections difficult to treat.
• Environmental hazard:- Unscientific disposal of pharmaceutical waste can contaminate drinking water and the food chain, negatively impacting the biosphere.
• The nPROUD initiative will develop a structured and scientific system to address this problem by ensuring that medicines are disposed of as per biomedical waste management regulations.