Clean house of unwanted drugs on Saturday

Posted at 2:40 p.m. on October 26, 2018

The Brillion News

In partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), 300 local law enforcement agencies will be participating in Drug Take Back Day across the state on Saturday, October 27.

This effort will continue to bring focus to the issues prescription painkiller abuse and the opioid epidemic cause in Wisconsin.

Drug Take Back Day provides a safe, convenient and responsible means of disposal, while also educating the community about the potential abuse and consequences of improper storage and disposal of these medications. To find a Drug Take Back Location near you, go to: www.doseofrealitywi.gov/find-a-take-back-location/.

Unused or expired medicine should never be flushed or poured down the drain. Water reclamation facilities are not designed to remove all of them and trace amounts of pharmaceuticals are showing up in rivers and lakes.

Since 2015, Wisconsinites have disposed of over 400,000 pounds of unused and unwanted medications; and the state has been a national leader in the DEA’s drug disposal program. Repeatedly, Wisconsin had more law enforcement agencies participate in the biannual event than any other state in the country, and has had the third largest drug disposal collections in the country, behind California and Texas.

Drug Take Back Day Guidelines

All waste pharmaceuticals must be generated by a household – no businesses are allowed.

Bring: Prescription (controlled and non-controlled) and over-the-counter medications, ointments, patches, inhalers, non-aerosol sprays, creams, vials, pet medications.

Do Not Bring: Illegal drugs, needles/sharps, acids, aerosol cans, bio-hazardous materials (anything containing a bodily fluid or blood), personal care products (shampoo, soaps, lotions, sunscreen), household hazardous waste (paint, pesticides, oil, gas), mercury thermometers.

Participants may dispose of solid, non-liquid medication(s) by removing the medication from its container and disposing of it directly into a disposal box or into a clear sealable plastic bag. Plastic pill containers should not be collected. Blister packages without the medications being removed are acceptable.

Liquids will be accepted during this initiative. However, the liquids, creams and sprays must be in their original packaging and their weight evenly distributed within the boxes of collected solid prescription medications. Liquids without the original packaging will not be accepted.

Illicit substances such as marijuana or methamphetamine are not a part of this initiative and should not be placed in collection containers.

For more information, go to www.DoseofRealityWI.gov