CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — As the popularity of GLP-1 medications for weight loss continues to soar, experts in Charlotte are raising concerns about what happens after millions of Americans finish their weekly injections.
Drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound have become increasingly common, with studies estimating that roughly 12% of U.S. adults have used a GLP-1 medication. That likely means that millions of used injection devices are being discarded each week, prompting questions about proper disposal and potential environmental impacts long after the injection devices arrive at a landfill.
Dr. Milind Khire, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at UNC Charlotte who studies landfills and waste systems, said discarded injection pens containing needles should not be carelessly thrown away.
“GLP-1 going loose in MSW is a no-no,” Khire said, referring to municipal solid waste…