Get Rid Of Expired, Unused Drugs In Montgomery County: April 27

SILVER SPRING, MD — Montgomery County is offering a safe and anonymous way for the public to get rid of leftover and expired prescription drugs.

Police departments across the county are teaming up with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for the initiative, called National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, to provide easy and responsible means of disposal, keep our drinking water clean, and educate people about prescription drug abuse and theft, according to police. The event is on Saturday, April 27.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., you can bring your pills for disposal at certain police stations in Bethesda, Rockville, Silver Spring, Wheaton, Takoma Park, Gaithersburg, and Germantown.

The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked. Police say the DEA will not accept illegal drugs, liquids, needles, syringes or sharps — only pills or patches.

Residents are encouraged to remove prescription labels or black out personal information before dropping off pill bottles.

The DEA will destroy all returned medications.

You can learn more about National Drug Take-Back Day by visiting www.dea.gov.

Officers will staff collection boxes in the parking lots of the following facilities or in facility lobbies:

• Bethesda
  • MCP 2nd District Police Station – 4823 Rugby Ave.
  • Village of Friendship Heights Community Center – 4433 S. Park Ave.
  • Chevy Chase Village Police Station – 5906 Connecticut Ave.

• Gaithersburg
  • North Creek Community Center – 20125 Arrowhead Rd. (Montgomery Village)
  • Asbury Methodist Village – Apartment Center Lobby – 301 Odendhal Ave., Bldg. 405
  • Gaithersburg Police Station – 14 Fulks Corner Ave.

• Germantown
  • MCP 5th District Station – 20000 Aircraft Dr.

• Rockville
  • Bender Jewish Community Center (JCC) of Greater Washington – 6125 Montrose Rd.
  • Rockville City Police/Montgomery County Sheriffs – Rockville City Police Station 2 W. Montgomery Ave. (Lobby of Rockville City Police building)
  • Maryland State Police Rockville Barrack – 7915 Montrose Rd.

• Silver Spring
  • MCP 3rd District Station – 1001 Milestone Dr.
  • Silver Spring Civic Center – 1 Veterans Plaza
  • MedStar Pharmacy – 3305 N. Leisure World Blvd.

• Takoma Park
  • Takoma Park Police at Takoma Park City Building Lobby – 7500 Maple Ave.

• Wheaton
  • MCP 4th District Station – 2300 Randolph Rd.

Other Ways to Dispose of Medication

If it is safe to flush a drug down a toilet, the drug label or prescription information will indicate that option is an appropriate means of disposal. Otherwise, medication should not be poured down a sink or flushed down a toilet, according to police.

In addition, medication should not be thrown in the trash unless specific safety precautions for safe disposal are followed.

The County's Division of Solid Waste Services offers these suggestions:

• Place unwanted or expired medication into a plastic bag (with a seal) or other empty container with a lid to prevent liquid medications from leaking out.
• Mix with kitty litter, coffee grounds or sawdust. (Liquid medications can be solidified using kitty litter or sawdust).
• Seal the bag and/or container.
• Crush pills or tablets.
• Put the container and/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 recycling bins.