Handling of pharmaceutical waste in community pharmacies in Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

BACKGROUND Pharmaceutical waste is waste consisting oflor containing pharmaceuticals which have expired or are no longer needed and their containers or items containing or contaminated with pharmaceuticals. Enforcing proper disposal of pharmaceutical waste is challenging because there are no direct benefits accrued, among other factors like unawareness to guidelines. OBJECTIVES To describe the generation, handling and disposal of pharmaceutical waste by community pharmacy outlets in Nairobi, Kenya. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. We randomly selected 25 community pharmacies from Huriingham, Upperhill, downtown and the central business district areas within Nairobi and administered a predesigned questionnaire for filling. Twenty two filled in questionnaires. The data obtained was analyzed using Microsoft excel and results presented in tables, charts and graphs. RESULTS More than half of pharmaceutical waste generated in community pharmacy outlets comes from expired pharmaceuticals while a third of all wastes can be attributed to damaged, contaminated and spoilt pharmaceuticals. Environmentally hazardous methods of disposal such as open dumping, sewer disposal and burning in the open are still practiced. Most respondents are aware that their waste disposal methods pose a risk to the environment, humans, animals or aquatic life. Almost half of the respondents make effort towards minimizing potential threats of waste pharmaceuticals mainly by reducing amount of waste generated or using proper disposal methods. CONCLUSION Community pharmacy outlets in Nairobi generate a substantial amount of pharmaceutical waste from their day to day operations and most have multiple sources of wastes. Awareness of disposal policies, guidelines and methods is poor. The disposal methods used have potential threats not only to the environment but also to humans, animals and aquatic life.