April 30th Is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

Presented By Hometown-Motors, Inc.

The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications.

The effort runs from 10am-2pm on April 30th, with most community law enforcement agencies and some pharmacies participating. Participating locations have secured drop-off boxes, where the drugs can be dropped off. Those drugs are then destroyed.

To dispose of prescription and over-the-counter drugs, call your city or county government’s household trash and recycling service and ask if a drug take-back program is available in your community. Some counties hold household hazardous waste collection days, where prescription and over-the-counter drugs are accepted at a central location for proper disposal.

If you choose to dispose of your unused medicines on your own, here are ways to do that:

*Take your prescription drugs out of their original containers.

*Mix drugs with an undesirable substance, such as cat litter or used coffee grounds.

*Put the mixture into a disposable container with a lid, such as an empty margarine tub, or into a sealable bag.

*Conceal or remove any personal information, including Rx number, on the empty containers by covering it with permanent marker or duct tape, or by scratching it off.

*The sealed container with the drug mixture, and the empty drug containers, can now be placed in the trash.

Proper disposal of unused medicines protect you, your family and the environment by:

*Prevents poisoning of children and pets

*Deters misuse by teenagers and adults

*Avoids health problems from accidentally taking the wrong medicine, too much of the same medicine, or a medicine that is too old to work well

*Keeps medicines from entering streams and rivers when poured down the drain or flushed down the toilet

For more information on National Drug Take Back Day and ways to legally and safely dispose of unused prescription drugs, go to this link for the U.S. Department of Justice DEA Diversion Control website link. CLICK HERE: