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“Prescription drugs are the second most abused category of drugs in the United States,” County Executive Rob Astorino said in a statement. “Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. I urge county residents to get rid of these unused medicines properly.”
Since 2012, the county, through the departments of Public Safety and Environmental Facilities, has been recruiting police departments to host MedReturn Boxes allowing local residents to drop off unwanted drugs for safe disposal.
Twenty-one police departments now participate, including Ardsley, Bedford, Briarcliff Manor, Croton, Eastchester , Greenburgh, Lewisboro, Mount Pleasant, Mount Vernon, Ossining Village, Peekskill, Pleasantville, Port Chester, Pound Ridge, Rye Brook, Rye City, Scarsdale, Somers, Tarrytown, White Plains and Yorktown.
Residents may dispose of their prescription drugs and over-the-counter medicines in one of these boxes, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
For the first nine months of this year, more than 2,500 pounds of medications have been collected as part of this program.
In addition to Westchester’s Medication Take-Back Program, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration is scheduled to conduct a nationwide prescription drug collection on Saturday, Oct. 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. You can find a location near you on its Web site www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback.
To receive more information, or to view the list of participating police departments, go to www.westchestergov.com/medicationdisposal or call the Westchester County Recycling Helpline at (914) 813-5425.
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