NORTH CAROLINA — Wal-Mart has embraced a North Carolina-based company in a move that will help people dispose of their extra medications, before they can either become a danger to the environment or part of the opioid epidemic.
The retail giant has announced it will now offer DisposeRx packets free of charge to its pharmacy patients in its stores.
The solution
DisposeRx packets contain a powder that has the ability to render medications inert.
Take unused or expired medications, add water, DisposeRx powder, leave enough room to agitate and shake for 30 seconds. The result is a benign gel that the company has tested to be safe for disposal and does not risk leaching into the environment.
“Changing human behavior has always been something that has been very difficult to do,” said William Simpon, DisposeRx’s president. “You nudge behavioral change.”
With simple packets and the new partnership with Wal-Mart Corp., the company is one step closer to getting their disposal solution into the medical routine.
Simpson hopes that DisposeRx packets will one day be likened to flower food packets, an expected element of the pharmaceutical equation.
“We feel that Wal-Mart has the ability to change that narrative,” Simpson said. “We hope that we can be a part of saving lives.”
Next stop, Wilmington?
Compared to drop-off locations, Simpson says DisposeRx eliminates an undue burden on people open to disposing of their unused or expired medications.
In August, DisposeRx was still in talks with Wilmington, hoping to reach an agreement to incorporate its product into a disposal agreement. Somewhere along the way, the city backed out, and Simpson hopes they will soon reconsider in light of Wal-Mart’s national move.
“Wilmington focuses on some of the biggest problems they have right now,” Simpson said. “We’re hoping thaWilmingtonon will come back to the table when they see the fact that they have a major retailer in their town that is excited to be working with us.”
Johanna Ferebee can be reached at [email protected] or @j__ferebee on Twitter
