CKHA is on the leading edge once again, with being the first hospital in Canada to implement a new container called Pharmasmart! This container that looks like a hard plastic blue and white mini suitcase (see the picture below) is built to contain waste pharmaceuticals so that they aren’t discarded in a harmful way.
Studies show that medications that are discarded in the improper way may lead to contamination of local water systems. Now that we have these containers, any medication to be wasted (other than controlled drugs and those that are potentially contaminated after being used on a patient) should be placed in the blue and white Pharmasmart container for safe disposal. These new containers are being kept on the medication carts and medication preparation areas in the Pharmacy Department and on the patient care units.
Designed to meet Ministry regulations that require hospitals to separate their waste streams (biohazard and non-contaminated), these new containers are handled in the very same way as the yellow containers we are using now. The yellow Sharpsmart containers will still be used for disposal of “contaminated” items and sharps. The blue and white Pharmasmart containers will now be used for wasted pharmaceuticals (outdated injectable drugs, dropped tablets, returned unused liquids). The contents of the yellow Sharpsmart containers are specially treated and then go into landfill. The contents of the blue and white Pharmasmart containers are incinerated, keeping them out of our precious water system.
I’m proud of our hospital for being the first facility in Canada to use this new container system to divert waste and keep our communities safer.
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