MORRISTOWN, N.J., May 15, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Covanta, a world leader in sustainable waste management based in Morristown, New Jersey, has been recognized by the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey (CIANJ) and COMMERCE Magazine for its achievements in environmental leadership. Covanta was honored in the Recycling and Pollution Prevention Program category for its Rx4Safety program.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 130 Americans on average die each day from an opioid overdose. Opioid abuse is a serious and pervasive crisis in the United States aided by its easy accessibility to people of all ages. Launched in 2010, Covanta's Rx4Safety program seeks to address this urgent crisis by providing the means for safe, secure and anonymous disposal of prescription medications through participation in community-sponsored, drug take-back events. Rx4Safety ensures medications collected at these events are properly disposed of so that they do not end up in public waterways and drinking water. Since the program's inception, Covanta has collected nearly 500,000 pounds of medication in New Jersey alone.
"Covanta is dedicated to serving the communities in which our employees live and work," Paul Stauder, president of Covanta Environmental Solutions. "The Rx4Safety program was born out of this desire, supporting communities with environmentally-sound destruction of unwanted medications. Now, almost 10 years later, the demand for this service is greater than ever as people become more aware of the urgent need to protect water resources and keep drugs from falling into the wrong hands. We greatly appreciate this recognition of the program's impact."
The amount of unused medications collected during national take-back days continues to grow every year. To meet the increasing demand for safe, secure and convenient medication disposal, Covanta has expanded its offerings to include kiosk and mail-back envelope services at retail pharmacies and other community health care locations across the country. For more information visit: www.covanta.com/healthcare-solutions.
About Covanta
Covanta is a world leader in providing sustainable waste and energy solutions. Annually, Covanta's modern Energy-from-Waste facilities safely convert approximately 22 million tons of waste from municipalities and businesses into clean, renewable electricity to power one million homes and recycle over 600,000 tons of metal. Through a vast network of treatment and recycling facilities, Covanta also provides comprehensive industrial material management services to companies seeking solutions to some of today's most complex environmental challenges. For more information, visit covanta.com.
About The Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey
Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey is a unique network of businesses committed to improving and advancing the cause of free enterprise in the Garden State. For more information, visit: www.cianj.org
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SOURCE Covanta