The Walworth County Sheriff’s Office, and City of Elkhorn Police Department, in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Administration will have Prescription Drug Take Back Day events on Saturday, April 29.
The county will host the event at: the Sheriff’s Office, 1770 County Highway NN Elkhorn; the Lyons Town Hall, 6339 Hospital Road, Lyons, and; the Darien Town Hall, N2826 Foundry Road, Darien.
Elkhorn Police Department staff will host its Drug Take Back Day event at the Pharmacy Station, 3 E. Geneva St. in Elkhorn.
The Sheriff’s Office location is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The other locations will be staffed for drug collection on Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. and ending at 11 a.m.
The effort will continue to bring focus to the issue of prescription painkiller abuse in Wisconsin. Drug Take Back Day provides a safe, convenient and responsible means of disposal, while educating the community about the potential abuse and consequences of improper storage and disposal of these medications.
“More than two-thirds of people who have abused prescription painkillers got them illegally from a friend or family member,” said Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel. “Wisconsinites can help cut down on prescription drug abuse by storing prescription drugs securely and disposing of unused medication through proper methods, like DOJ’s biannual Drug Take Back Day.”
Unused or expired medicine should never be flushed or poured down the drain, according to the Department of Justice. Water reclamation facilities are not designed to remove all of them and trace amounts of pharmaceuticals are showing up in rivers and lakes.
Drug disposal guidelines
Guidelines for disposing of items are as follow:
- All waste pharmaceuticals must be generated by a household – no business waste is allowed;
- Bring prescription and over-the-counter medications, ointments, patches, inhalers, non-aerosol sprays, creams, vials and pet medications;
- Do not bring illegal drugs, needles or sharps, acids, aerosol cans, bio-hazardous materials, personal care products, household hazardous waste and mercury thermometers;
- Participants may dispose of solid, non-liquid medications 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 without the medications being removed are acceptable;
- Liquids will be accepted during this initiative. However, the liquids, creams and sprays must be in their original packaging. 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.
