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WESTPORT, Conn. – Rid your cabinets of unused, expired and unwanted prescription drugs this weekend. The Westport Police Department, together with the Drug Enforcement Administration, is again hosting a prescription drug take-back collection Saturday.
Residents can drop off their old prescriptions by driving to the rear of Town Hall, 110 Myrtle Ave., between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked, Westport Police Capt. John Calka said in a statement.
“This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue,” Calka said. “Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.”
The collection also provides residents with an environmentally friendly way to dispose of these medications. Flushing unused prescription or throwing them in the trash pose potential health and safety hazards, Calka added.
Last October, 77,080 pounds of prescription drugs were turned in at more than 5,300 take-back collection sites across the country, Calka said. In its past three take-back events, nearly a million pounds of pills have been collected nationwide.
Westport police and the DEA will continue to hold prescription drug take-back events every few months.
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