Program Spotlight: Pontiac, Illinois’ P²D²

Paul Ritter, an ecology teacher at Pontiac Township High School (PTHS), posed a question to his class: “What is the correct method for disposal of unused medications?” Ritter’s wife had asked him the same question when clearing out their medicine cabinet, and he thought it would be a good research project for his students.

After researching materials on water quality and waste disposal, the student created presentations for their local pharmacies, including K-mart and Walgreens. They presented compelling information on medications found in ground water sources, including antibiotics, anti-depressants, birth control pills, seizure medication, cancer treatments, pain killers, tranquilizers and cholesterol-lowering compounds. They also highlighted that waste water treatment plants in the US are not designed to remove many of these chemicals from the water supply.

Based on the presentations, the students asked retailers to allow patrons to bring in unused prescription drugs for proper and safe disposal.

From these initial efforts, the Prescription Pills and Drug Disposal Program – or P²D² – was born. Ritter’s students have recruited other classes, like Eric Bohm’s Illinois Studies class, to participate. Bohm’s class launched a letter writing campaign to ask federal, state, and local officials to help educate the public about the benefits of proper disposal of their prescription and non-prescription drugs.

“The students have gained an important lesson from this experience,” Ritter said in an interview with the Pontiac Daily Leader. “Students have become the educators of our community. They are the teachers educating the students who in turn are educating their communities, and they are educating the state. By working with the kids, working with PTHS teachers and working with community members, we were able to do this.”

The program has now expanded to other parts of the state, including Coles County, Grundy County, Iroquois County, Livingston County, Marsh County, Mclean County, Woodford County, and Will County” he said. Other schools have also expressed interest in starting a similar program, and P²D² organizers have presented their curriculum to educators in Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. “Our ultimate goal is to take it nationwide," Ritter said.

The program has received numerous awards, such as the 2008 Governor's Green Youth Award and the 2008 Lt. Governor's Environmental Hero Award. The PTHS students also have worked with the Spanish National Honor Society at Westfield High School in Houston, Texas, to translate the P2D2 website into Spanish

To learn more about P²D², visit their website for history, drug drop-off locations, contact information, and program updates.