Department of Health, Taipei City Government

1. Introduction

To cope with the habit of inappropriate use of medicines by the public, and the environmental pollution and health threat from discarded household medical waste in our communities, since the year of 2010, the Department of health of Taipei City Government has established Household Medical Waste Take-Back Stations in communities, which provide accessible take-back sites for our citizens to discard household medical waste. Furthermore, with professional pharmaceutical personnel at each station to assist citizens carry out household medical waste classification, provide educational information on the correct storage of medicine and methods to self-inspect medicine in their homes, the goal is to improve the medical safety knowledge of the public and encourage citizens to take part in medical waste take-back, making Taipei City a healthy city.

2. Subject of Service

Taipei Citizens

3. Method of Service

A. Through promotion strategies, Household Medical Waste Take-Back Stations were set up in hospitals, community pharmacies and district health centers of the 12 administrative districts of Taipei City, with professional pharmaceutical personnel at each station to assist citizens carry out household medical waste classification, provide medication counseling and educational information. B. The professional pharmaceutical personnel at each station will help citizens to classify household medical waste into five major categories, such as “antibiotics”, “hormone drugs”, “anti-cancer and immunosuppressive drugs”, “liquid medical waste” and “waste needles and syringes”. Other medical waste which doesn’t belong to the five major categories will only need to be removed of its packaging and be disposed as general household garbage.

Household Medical Waste Take-Back Boxes.

Household Medical Waste Take-Back Advocacy Poster.