Mercedes Randhahn found a laboratory to use. She learned two and a half months’ worth of chemistry material in just a couple of weeks. And then she got to work.
After lots of experiments, Randhahn figured out a way for people to safely dispose of leftover and unneeded opioids at home. They’d simply put the pills in a packet that has activated carbon in it, add some vinegar, shake it all together and let it sit for a couple of minutes.
“Then it’ll deactivate it and you can just throw it away in the trash without harming the environment,” said Randhahn, who was wearing Pac-Man socks with her school uniform as she went through her project this month.