Prescription Drug Take Back Day

The Richland Center Police Department will host Prescription Drug Take Back Day
April 30th From 10:00am – 2:00pm

The Richland Center Police Department, in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), will again be participating in a Prescription Drug Take-Back initiative. The event will take place on Saturday, April 30th from 10:00am-2:00pm at the Richland Center Police Department located at 470 S. Main St. in Richland Center.

This effort will continue to bring an increased focus on the issue of prescription opiate abuse. The goal of the Take-Back Day is to provide a safe, convenient and responsible means of disposal, while also educating the community about the potential for abuse and consequences of improper storage and disposal of these medications.

“Proper drug disposal is one way to substantially reduce the abuse of prescription narcotic painkillers,” Chief Lucas Clements said. “Storing potentially dangerous drugs in a secure location and disposing of them promptly after use will reduce the availability to people improperly using these substances.”

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 around the world.

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, non-aerosol sprays, creams, vials and pet medications.

Do Not Bring: Illegal drugs, needles/sharps, inhalers, aerosol cans, bio-hazardous materials (anything containing a bodily fluid or blood), personal care products (shampoo, soaps, lotions, and sunscreens), household hazardous waste (paint, pesticides, oil, and 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 are acceptable without the medications being removed.
• Liquids will be accepted during this initiative. However, the liquids, creams and sprays must be in their original packaging and 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.

Chief Clements added that over the past five years, local efforts utilizing this free service have collected approximately 400 pounds of prescription drugs for disposal from our community. Chief Clements states he has been impressed with past collection results and encourages citizens to keep taking advantage of the service. This service is free and anonymous, with no questions asked.