Pill disposal event to be Oct. 24
By From staff reports
Published in News on October 16, 2015 1:46 PM
Operation Medicine Drop will collect those outdated, unwanted and unneeded pills -- prescription or over-the-counter -- from people wanting to get rid of them Saturday, Oct. 24, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in front of Berkeley Mall.
Operation Medicine Drop is sponsored by the 4-H Prevention Program, the Wayne County Sheriff's Department and Wayne Connections - Substance Abuse Prevention Task Force.
Pills should remain in the original bottle or container to enable the types of pills to be tracked.
No names will be used, and bottles will be destroyed with the pills in the incinerator. A black permanent marker will be available to mark through personal information.
In recent years, United States Geological Society scientists have discovered various kinds of medicine in the water supply, such as antibiotics, birth control pills and cancer treatments.
Most waste water treatment facilities are not able to remove these substances from the water supply. Prescription drug abuse is another reason to properly dispose of unneeded medication. Medicines that are left on the counter or in the medicine cabinet are open to be taken by anyone. According to www.drugabuse.com, 54.2 percent of people report they get their prescription medications free from relatives or friends, and 62 percent of teens said it is easy to get medicine from a parent's (or grandparents) medicine cabinet while 51percent of teens view prescription medication as drugs that are not illegal.
Participants can just pull up to the location, and volunteers will be available to take the items and deposit them in containers, those participating will not even have to park.
Items that will not be accepted are needles, syringes with needles, thermometers, IV bags, bloody or infectious waste, personal care items, hydrogen peroxide or empty containers.
There is a drop box for these medications located at the Sheriff's Department Annex, 1916 US-117 ALT, that is available during office hours.
For more information, call Barbara Byers, Wayne County 4-H at 919-731-1527 or Robin Stine, Wayne County Sheriff's Department at 919-705-6584.