WILLMAR — Last year, about 332 tons of prescription drugs were dropped off at more than 4,900 sites nationwide during National Drug Take Back Day, according to federal figures.
This year, the Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office will continue to participate in the program, adding two additional collection sites for a few hours on Saturday, April 27, for National Take Back Day.
In addition to the regular drop box in the lobby at the Law Enforcement Center in Willmar, people will be able to drop off their expired medications from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Elks Lodge in Willmar, located just off U.S. Highway 12 at 222 20th St. S.E., or at the Fire Hall in Raymond.
Sgt. Robbie Braness said the Sheriff’s Office began participating in National Take Back Day in 2011, and has since then collected approximately 22,854 pounds of unused medications from the area.
Last year, about 1,092 pounds was collected from residents, according to Braness.
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“We’ve always had positive reactions from people,” he said. “It’s a great program.”
Braness said that people will be able to bring their unused prescription drugs in prescription bottles. However they will not take needles or inhalers.
Liquid medications, such as cough syrup, can be collected in their original containers with a tightly sealed cap to prevent leaking.
The program is anonymous and does not collect any information on individuals disposing of drugs. No questions or requests for ID will be made by officers at the site when dropping off any unused prescription drugs.
Those unable to meet up with the Willmar Police Department officers at the Elks Lodge or sheriff's deputies at the Raymond Fire Hall will still be able to dispose of drugs at the main red dropbox in the lobby at the Law Enforcement Center in Willmar, which is available year-round. An officer will be staffing that location as well from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, nearly 4,500 law enforcement agencies participated in the program last year, collecting a total of 332 tons of drugs nationwide. The DEA reports more than 8,900 tons worth of drugs have been collected over the course of all the national take-back days since 1998.
Take Back Day sites do not accept any needles, syringes or illegal drugs.
If no drug take-back sites or programs are available, the Food and Drug Administration recommends throwing all drugs with no specific disposal instruction into household trash.
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The FDA says not to crush any tablets or capsules. Mix pills in with an unappealing substance like used coffee grounds or cat litter and put the mixture in a separate sealed plastic bag, then throw it in the garbage. Make sure to scratch out any personal information on empty pill bottle labels before throwing them away.
Drugs that may be misused, such as oxycodone or fentanyl, can be safely disposed of by flushing them. The FDA’s Flush List can be found online.
However, the best disposal option is to find drug drop-off locations, which can be found in retail stores, hospitals and clinics, pharmacies or other law enforcement facilities. Year-round collection sites can be found through the DEA’s online search utility.
More information can be found at DEATakeBack.com for National Take Back Day.
The Trust Project
