Hundreds of pounds of expired prescription drugs torched

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation collected 660 pounds of pharmaceutical medications during the third DEC Long Island Pharmaceutical Take Back. 

Twenty-four healthcare facilities throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties participated in the program, which collects and responsibly destroys unused or expired prescription drugs. 

Officials say pharmaceuticals have been detected in New York State waterways. While flushing pills is one way to dispose of them, environmentalists say it contaminates the drinking water. 

The pills were brought to Covanta Hempstead Facility where they were burned.