
Ok, so you forgot about Drug Take Back Day last month. Now you’re staring at a bunch of pills, thinking you’re going to have to store these until the next drop off day in October? As the title says, Don’t Panic? There’s more options now than there used to be.
The official Drug Take Back Day usually is held in April and October. For a long time, that really was your only chance to safely dispose of expired, excess prescription medication for free. However, that changed because of an unfortunate perfect storm, comprised of accidental consumption of pills by kids, the opioid epidemic, and a growing concern over groundwater contamination. Now there’s more than one convenient way to get this job taken care of. Whichever of the options below you choose, just remember to either remove your personal info from the bottle, or use a sharpie to cover it up, before you drop it off!
- Pharmacies: Many local pharmacies now have dropped off containers for prescription drugs that are no longer needed. They generally look a little like a postal mailbox, but instead of being blue they’re silver.
- Mail option: if your pharmacy doesn’t have the silver container, then ask them if they have the free mail-in pouches. Now, be careful, because sometimes they’ll direct you to a shelf were there’s a mail-in pouch that you’ll have to pay for. Don’t settle for that, ask again for the free one. They’re usually set out by the pharmacy counter for people to grasp, or you might have to ask for one from behind the counter.
- Doctor’s office: This one is more of a long shot, but sometimes they might have it, so ask just in case.
- Police stations: Many police stations now have the silver drop off bins to. You didn’t even have to talk to anyone about it, you just go in, and drop you bag in the slot, and go.
- Community events: Sometimes, you can find drug awareness events going on in your community, There will usually be a drop off location set up at the heart of the event, which will be surrounded by activities and info booths. These are usually held in school parking lots, or local parks. Just keep an eye out for signs posted around town.