The Health Products Stewardship Program helps with the proper disposal of unused medications and needles.

They operate in a number of provinces across Canada including British Columbia, New Brunswick, Manitoba, Ontario, PEI and Quebec.

“We’re a nonprofit organization, similar to the organizations that take back your used tires, batteries, oil, electronics to recycle. We are also responsible for ensuring our manufacturers, the pharmaceutical companies, take back unused or expired medications and used medical sharps from consumers homes to ensure that they don’t get into the water systems or end up in precarious situations like parks,” CEO Terri Drover says.

The program has collected about 7,500 kilograms of sharps in New Brunswick since the launch of its free take back program in January.

Across the country, there are almost 8000 collection sites, most of them in pharmacies.

“Since we launched January this year, we have about 193 active pharmacies across New Brunswick, and that represents about 82 per cent of the available retail pharmacies in New Brunswick. So it’s pretty accessible. Most pharmacies accept these medications and sharps back.”

Drover adds medical sharps can be a biohazard if they are not disposed of properly.

“For example, if you’re stuck with a needle that has a contagion on such like hepatitis, things like that. They can fall into kids hands, and they’re the unknown. They haven’t been sterilized, and if you throw them in your municipal waste, for example, the waste collectors at these sites are picking through garbage. They can be stuck with a needle. So it’s very important that you get a free sharp container at any pharmacy,” Drover stated.

The sharp containers can be kept in your home and ensure needles are kept away from your kids. When they are full, you can bring the container back to the pharmacy, and they’ll ensure it is properly disposed of.