New shredder makes drug disposal a snip
expired medicines should be able to dispose of them safely using a
new shredding system launched by Security Engineered Machinery.
The Model DS-22 disintegrator can reduce up to 1800 pounds of waste material per hour down to particles as small as a few millimetres across, and has been specifically designed for the destruction of returned, expired or off-spec pharmaceutical products, according to the company.
The first stage of the system is a high-torque, low-RPM shredder, which starts the destruction process by preshredding bulk material. The preshred material then enters the second stage of the process, where a high-speed rotary knife mill continues to reduce the waste to the desired particle size.
The user determines the size of the end particle by choosing one of several exit screens. Once the end particle is small enough to pass safe disposal requirements, it passes through the screen and is then evacuated to a twin-bag collection system or dumpster for disposal.
By law, expired prescription and over-the-counter medication must be destroyed to prevent unauthorised distribution which could lead to serious medical problems. The DS-22 is an effective means of making sure that packaging materials for pharmaceuticals are completely destroyed, reducing the possibility that they may be diverted or used in drug counterfeiting.
