Are you looking for a safe way to get rid of prescription and over-the-counter drugs that you no longer need? A growing list of police departments now will accept these medications.
"Prescription drugs are the second most abused category of drugs in the United States," said County Executive Robert P. Astorino. "Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. I urge county residents to get rid of these unused medicines properly."
Since 2012, the county, through the departments of Public Safety (including the Stop-DWI Office) and Environmental Facilities have been recruiting police departments to host MedReturn Boxes. Twenty-one police departments now participate. They are: Ardsley, Bedford, Briarcliff Manor, Croton , Eastchester , Greenburgh, Lewisboro, Mount Pleasant, Mount Vernon, Ossining Village, Peekskill, Pleasantville, Port Chester, Pound Ridge, Rye Brook, Rye City, Scarsdale, Somers, Tarrytown, White Plains and Yorktown.
Residents may dispose of their prescription drugs and over-the-counter medicines in one of these boxes for safe disposal, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. An up-to-date listing of participating police departments can be found on the county's Web site at www.westchestergov.com/medicationdisposal.
Funding for the MedReturn Boxes came from the Westchester County Department of Environmental Facilities and the Westchester Coalition for Drug & Alcohol Free Youth. The coalition brings together different sectors of the community to address drug abuse prevention and underage drinking and receives funding from a drug-free community grant program sponsored by the federal Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services.
For the first nine months of this year, more than 2,500 pounds of medications have been collected as part of this program. It has been widely praised by area police.
Lt. James Montague of the Ossining Police Department said: "Since the beginning of our participation in this great program in 2012, we've noticed that residents find the drop-off to be convenient, and like having a safe and confidential method for disposing their over-the-counter and prescription medications, which requires no paperwork. Although popular belief is to flush unused medications or to pour them down the drain, this is highly discouraged as it can taint our local rivers and streams."
Remember never flush drugs and medications down the drain or toilet. There are two methods for the proper disposal of unwanted medications: residents can bring them to one of the participating police departments at any time; or they can visit the Household Material Recovery Facility (H-MRF) ) on the first Tuesday of every month. The H-MRF is by appointment-only; residents can sign up on-line or by calling the Westchester County Recycling Helpline.
If residents cannot stop by a participating police station or the H-MRF, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) advises residents to mix the contents with undesirable substances (such as coffee grounds, cat litter or dirt), disguise to prevent discovery, tape the containers closed with strong tape and toss into the garbage. For more information, go to the DEC's drug disposal Web site (http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/67720.html).
In addition to Westchester's Medication Take-Back Program, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is scheduled to conduct a nationwide prescription drug collection on Saturday, Oct. 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Collections will be held at many locations throughout New York State; you can find a location near you on its Web site: http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback.
To receive more information, or to view the list of participating police departments, go to www.westchestergov.com/medicationdisposal or call the Westchester County Recycling Helpline at (914) 813-5425.