Rockville Drug Take-Back Day 2016: When, Where to Get Rid of Drugs

ROCKVILLE, MD — Residents can safely get unused or expired prescription drugs out of the house during National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, planned for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 30.

Rockville and Montgomery County Police will offer this safe, free and anonymous way to prevent pill abuse and theft by disposing of unused, unwanted or expired prescription drugs.

In Rockville, medications will be collected in the parking lot of the Rockville City Police Station, 2 West Montgomery Ave., with easy drive up and drop off access. Officers will be outside with the collection boxes, so there is no need for you to even get out of your car.

Liquids, illicit drugs, needles, sharps and syringes cannot be accepted as part of the take-back program. The service is free and anonymous.

There will be drop-off locations throughout the county, as well, for prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications only.

Montgomery County officers will staff collection boxes in the parking lots or in the lobbies of these facilities:

Collection Sites:

Montgomery County Police Department:

• 1st District Station/Headquarters – 100 Edison Park Drive, Gaithersburg
• 2nd District Friendship Heights Community Center – 4433 S Park Avenue, Chevy Chase
• 3rd District Station – 1002 Milestone Drive, Silver Spring
• 4th District Station – 2300 Randolph Road, Wheaton
• 5th District Station – 20000 Aircraft Drive, Germantown
• 6th District Station – 45 West Watkins Mill Road, Gaithersburg

The Montgomery County law enforcement community is particularly interested in medications containing controlled substances but will accept any medications brought for disposal. All sites will take pills and medication patches of all kinds.

Authorities say that if possible, prescription labels should be removed or personal information should be blacked out. Pill bottles will still be accepted if the labels are attached. No questions will be asked.

Disposing of drugs through a drug take-back day is the safest option, police say. If it is safe to dispose of a drug by flushing it down a toilet, the drug label or prescription information will list that option as an appropriate means of disposal. Otherwise, unused drugs should not be poured down a sink or flushed for disposal.

Drugs should only be thrown in the trash if precautions are followed to prevent them from being ingested by an animal or person.

Here's what to do:

• Mix pills or capsules with kitty litter, coffee grounds or sawdust.
• Liquid medications can be solidified using kitty litter or sawdust.
• Put the medication mixture into a plastic bag (with a seal) or other empty container with a lid to prevent leakage.
• Seal the bag or container.
• Put the container or bag containing the medication into your regular household trash.
• Remove the label with the patient’s name from the original medicine vial or bottle.
• Place the empty plastic vial or bottle into your blue county recycling bin. Empty aerosol inhalers can also be recycled in the county recycling bins.

Unused and/or expired medicines that remain in home cabinets are highly susceptible to misuse. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Experts say a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.

All the medications turned in on Drug Take-back Day will be incinerated by police.