Prescription Drug Take-Back on April 29
Accidental exposure to medications can be a problem in the United States and it’s often in homes with young children, so it’s important to dispose of expired and old medications in the home as they present an unnecessary health risk.
The majority of prescription drug abusers report in surveys
that they get their drugs from friends and family.
The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day offers a way to safely and conveniently dispose of medications. On Saturday, April 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., several local law enforcement agencies will accept pills for safe disposal (needles, sharps and liquids cannot be accepted.)
In 2016, this is a free and anonymous service that resulted in 893,498 pounds of pills being collected, and of that number 48,717 pounds were collected in Illinois.
Americans understand that cleaning out old prescription drugs from medicine cabinets, kitchen drawers, and bedside tables reduces accidents, thefts, and the misuse and abuse of these medicines, including the opioid painkillers that accounted for 20,808 drug overdoses - 78 a day - in 2014 (the most recent statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
Eight out of 10 new heroin users began
by abusing prescription painkillers
and moved to heroin
when they could no longer obtain or afford those painkillers.
It’s important, however, you don’t dispose of old medications and drugs in the sewer or in the garbage can – both of those disposal methods can lead to accidental exposure, contaminated water, or intentional misuse.
Millennium Waste Incorporated, Rock Island, IL encourages everyone to support the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day as a way to protect our communities from unnecessary exposure to medications in the home and minimize the risk for abuse.
Below are several drop off locations or you can search online and locate other locations closer to you.
Rock Island County Sheriff’s Office
Rock Island County Justice Center
1317 3rd Avenue
Rock Island, IL
Milan Police Department
Milan Municipal Building, Front Parking Lot
405 East 1st Street
Milan, IL
Silvis Police Department
Silvis City Hall
121 11th Street
Silvas, IL
Mercer County Sheriff’s Office
Viola Fire Station
1604 13th Street
Viola, IL
Aledo Police Department
Parking Lot
200 NE 2nd Street
Aledo, IL
Geneseo Police Departmen
Geneseo Municipal Building
City Hall and Police Department
119 South Oakwood Avenue
Geneseo, IL
Mercer County Sheriff’s Office
Joy Fire Station
207 West Main Street
Joy, IL
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