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WESTPORT, Conn. – If you have unused, unwanted or expired prescription medications in your home, get rid of them Saturday during the fifth Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, being held at Westport Town Hall.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Westport police officers will be on hand in the rear parking lot of Town Hall to collect medications, no questions asked.
Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, held nationwide, allows residents the opportunity to properly dispose of old medications. Prescriptions that are thrown in the trash can be retrieved and abused or illegally sold, and ones that are flushed contaminate water supply, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. The DEA hosts the take-back event in conjunction with local law enforcement agencies.
Having unused or expired prescription medications in the home is a concern, as they can lead to accidental poisoning, overdose or abuse, the DEA says.
“More Americans currently abuse prescription drugs than the number of those using cocaine, hallucinogens and heroin combined, according to the 2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health,” a DEA press release said. “Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.”
The Westport Police Department has participated in every take-back event since the initiative was launched in September 2010. Since the first collection, approximately 1.6 million pounds — almost 774 tons — of prescription drugs have been turned in nationwide, a DEA press release said.
To dispose of any unwanted, expired or unused medications in your home, simply drive to the rear of Town Hall between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Town Hall is located at 110 Myrtle Ave.
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