the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Water encourages all residents to protect our Groundwater and properly dispose of unwanted medication. Scientists have expressed concerns about the effects of medications being released into the water supplies after having been flushed down the toilet or poured down the sink. Source: NJ Division of Consumer Affairs. For more information and a list of Project Medicine Drop :
What is Project Medicine Drop?
Project Medicine Drop is an initiative involving the installation of “prescription drug drop boxes” at participating New Jersey police departments.
The police agencies agree to keep the locked metal boxes indoors, affixed to the floor or wall in a secure area within police department headquarters, within view of law enforcement officers, in an area to which members of the public may be admitted to drop off their unused and expired medications. Their prominent “Project Medicine Drop” logos make the boxes clearly visible and recognizable.
Project Medicine Drop allows the public to dispose of unused and expired prescription medications safely, securely, and anonymously. The opportunity is available seven days a week, 365 days a year.
This initiative builds on the success of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Take Back Initiative, and the American Medicine Chest Challenge, which is sponsored in New Jersey by the DEA, Partnership for a Drug Free New Jersey, and Sheriffs’ Association of New Jersey. Both programs provide single-day opportunities to drop off unused medications at pre-identified, secure locations.
Project Medicine Drop provides the opportunity to discard unused expired prescription medications, every day throughout the year. The participating police agencies maintain custody of the deposited drugs, and dispose of them according to their normal procedures for the custody and destruction of controlled dangerous substances. They report the quantity of discarded drugs to the Division of Consumer Affairs on a quarterly basis.
Consumers from anywhere in New Jersey may deposit their medications in any of the drop boxes.
Where Can I Drop Off My Unused Prescriptions?
Find the location nearest you, here.
What Types of Medication May I Dispose Of in the Boxes?
For safety reasons, the Project Medicine Drop boxes can only accept solid medications such as pills, patches, inhalers, and similar objects.
The boxes cannot accept liquids, medical waste, or syringes. Consumers wishing to dispose of these objects should speak with their doctors or pharmacists to find the safest and best ways to dispose of them.
It should also be noted that consumers may only dispose of legal prescription or over-the-counter medications. Anyone wishing to dispose of any illicit drug, should follow the normal procedure of reporting it to the police.
Are There Any Other Safe Ways to Dispose of Prescription Medications?
Consumers are NOT advised to flush unused medications down the drain, or simply discard them in the trash.
Scientists have expressed concerns about the effects of medications being released into the water supplies after having been flushed down the toilet or sink, and the U.S. Geological Survey has found traces of pharmaceuticals in streams in 30 states. Simply placing drugs in the trash creates the potential that they will be found by those seeking to sell or abuse them.
If you’re not able to make it to a Project Medicine Drop site, you can follow our tips on how to safely dispose of unused medications.
How Can I Keep My Prescription Medications Safe?
If you keep prescription medicines in your home, you have the responsibility to keep them safe. Follow tips on how to secure prescription and over-the-counter medicines in your home.
Christopher Plummer won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in a movie called “Beginners” (2010). At the beginning, Plummer has died (he comes back in flashbacks, obviously) and his son, played by Ewan McGregor, is flushing his late father’s pills down the toilet. I think that was the very first shot in the movie. I said, “No!” (to the TV set; watched it on DVD). The movie is very good otherwise, but that was a very poor public service announcement.
I pressed “ click here “ and found that the Ridgewood Police Department is not listed as a drop off place in Bergen County. I think this is worth checking into. Much smaller towns all around us use their police departments as collection sites.
On Ridgewood web site
***SAVE THE DATE: October 27, 2018***
Please take advantage of DEA National Prescription TakeBack Day, on October 27, 2018 from 10am – 2pm. Our Ridgewood Police Department, located at 131 N. Maple Avenue, Floor 2, is our local collection site. For more information, please click here.
What do the police do with them? Seriously wondering. Are they incinerated?
You can go to Waldwick Police Station. They have a box in the lobby.
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By Susannah Elliott, The Columbus Dispatch
Posted Sep 23, 2015 at 12:01 AM Updated Sep 24, 2015 at 8:01 PM
What does law enforcement do with the prescriptions they receive at area retailers when they have prescription drug turn-ins from the public? Do they resell? Track who turns in what? And how do they dispose of the medications? – Helen Brabham, Pataskala
What does law enforcement do with the prescriptions they receive at area retailers when they have prescription drug turn-ins from the public? Do they resell? Track who turns in what? And how do they dispose of the medications?
— Helen Brabham, Pataskala
During drug take-back events, such as the National Drug Take-Back Day on Saturday, anyone with unwanted prescription or over-the-counter medicine can get rid of it responsibly by taking the drugs to designated locations.
This doesn’t include illicit drugs, such as LSD, heroin or marijuana.
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September 20, 2015
>> See a list of central Ohio drug drop-off locations
The national program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Drug Enforcement Agency. In central Ohio, the events are sponsored in conjunction with the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio and local businesses, law-enforcement agencies and public health departments.
The drugs aren’t resold, repackaged, donated or otherwise released back into circulation — they’re rendered what the DEA calls “non-retrievable.”
In 2014, the DEA released specific rules for how to dispose of drugs collected at these events: incineration and “chemical digestion” (in which a drug is dissolved into a solution and is rendered unusable). Landfill disposal and flushing drugs down a toilet or sink are considered substandard destruction methods.
In central Ohio, drugs typically are destroyed in incinerators approved by the Environmental Protection Agency.
According to a DEA fact sheet (view PDF), prescription-drug collectors can’t force you to provide any personal information about yourself, your prescription, or your doctor.
In fact, the DEA advises anyone turning in prescription drugs to avoid submitting prescription bottles that have personal information on them.
In addition to the national take-back events, Ohio residents can drop off drugs year-round at one of the mailbox-type bins inside certain law-enforcement agencies. The Ohio Attorney General’s website has a list of those bins in Ohio. You can also call the DEA’s Registration Call Center at 1-800-882-9539 to find nearby collection receptacle locations.
The EPA also has released information (view PDF) on how to dispose of drugs at home without contaminating drinking-water sources, but it notes that the best way to get rid of unwanted medicine is through a take-back event or collection bin.
“Scientists have expressed concerns…”
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There you have it… rock solid scientific evidence.
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How about this fact….
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“according to most estimates, the vast majority of pharmaceutical pollution comes through our bodily excretions.”
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So if you are taking medication, hold it in… or use a litter box
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