Unused pills to be destroyed
By Staff Reports
Published in News on October 22, 2009 1:46 PM
Outdated and unwanted pills -- both prescription and over-the-counter -- will be collected and destroyed during the Pills Can Kill Campaign on Saturday.
The event is being sponsored by the 4-H Prevention Program, the Wayne County Sheriff's Office and Wayne Connections-Substance Abuse Prevention Task Force.
Pills will be taken from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at local Food Lion stores. They should be in the original bottle or container to enable the types of pills to be tracked, said Barbara Byers, 4-H program associate.
"Some people keep them in case they need medicine down the road while others flush them down the toilet. These solutions might have worked in the past, but not in today's world."
She noted that in recent years, United States Geological Society scientists have discovered various kinds of medicine in the water supply -- antibiotics, birth control pills, cancer treatments and more. Most waste water treatment facilities are not able to remove these substances from the water.
Ms. Byers stressed that no names will be used. A black permanent marker will be available that day for those who want to mark through their personal information on the bottle.
Items that won't be accepted are needles, syringes with needles, thermometers, IV bags, bloody or infectious waste, personal care items, hydrogen peroxide and empty containers.
For more information, call Ms. Byers at 731-1527 or Brandy Jones with the Wayne County Sheriff's Office at 705-6584.