Two years ago, I have participated in the TUNZA International Conference in Kenya, Nairobi as the representative of Turkey. I learned many new projects while I was staying there and also made many friends all around the world whom I still talk to. One of the friends I made was from the USA. She told me about their project called P2D2 while I told her about the vermicompost project, the one that I mentioned in my first article. Today, I would like to share you all about what kind of a project it is and how it is implemented.
P2D2 is a project that a couple of students developed in Pontiac Township High School. These students realized that most of the unused and expired pharmaceuticals at homes were flushed in the toilet causing a massive pollution in both the sea and the drinking water. That?s when this group thought of the P2D2 which stands ?for Pre
scription Pill and Drug Disposal?. The aim of this project is, as you can understand, to collect the unused or expired pills and drugs, so that it doesn?t go to the drinking water of the USA citizens. In order to accomplish these goals of theirs, they have contacted the local pharmacies and hospitals to have a box and inform people to drop their pills and drugs. After the medications are gathered they are transported via trucks to incinerators where they are burnt and turned into electricity. No student takes part in the collection of drugs as teenagers and drugs are not a good match. Overall, this project takes the medications that pollute the drinking water and changes it into electricity for homes.
I believe this is a very efficient solution for the issue of drug disposal. This project was started in Brazil as well in the past years making it an international one. Some friends of mine and I are also making preparations for starting this project locally in Turkey. In fact, the Ministry of Health in Turkey declared that they will be starting a similar project in 2015. In other words, this project will be in Turkey soon. I invite all of you to consider applying this project to your local areas as well, since it is very efficient and practical at the same time.
For more information you can check out the website: http://p2d2program.wordpress.com/
7 Comments
I started to follow news on TUNZA Eco Generation recently. Now I am going to pass them to my FB Umit Savas Baran, FB Group Global Youth Activities andSpecially Wosm Scout.org messengers of prace and FB Messengers of th peace Heroes. Thank you for sharing this ambassador report
Posted 12-01-2015 13:01
P2D2 is very interesting , innovative and potentially effective program. Thanks for sharing , Utku. Likewise , we should look into every kind of discarded items and waste and should explore how they can be upcycled or used to produce energy. Glad to know about P2D2.
Posted 06-01-2015 01:50
Great to know about P2D2. Thank you for sharing it :)
There is similar campaign in Korea also. The first time I heard of the mass pollution caused by pills and drugs it sounded shocking because I had no clue that tiny little tablets pollutes water and land that massively.
Posted 05-01-2015 14:57
Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal programme can be applied at local levels. Agreed, Utku.
There is a great scope of this activity.
Posted 04-01-2015 20:22
Great and innovative initiative! I hope this project expands to many more countries and gathers more success and popularity!
Posted 02-01-2015 03:23
What a noble program! Unused and expired pharmaceuticals at homes into electricity for households! This will ascertain sustainable energy use and its like recycling 'energy'. Thanks for the report:)
Posted 02-01-2015 01:36
P2D2 is very interesting project.
Thanks for telling her about Vermicompst as well. We are here also promoting use of vermicompost.
ANd i Wish best of luck for the successful implementation of the P2D2 project in Turkey.
Thanks for the report Utku. :)
Posted 02-01-2015 01:32