Crime & Safety
Get Rid Of Expired, Unused Drugs In Montgomery County: Aug. 7
On Aug. 7, you can safely get rid of expired and unwanted prescription drugs at the Mid-County Community Recreation Center in Silver Spring.
SILVER SPRING, MD — Montgomery County is offering a safe and anonymous way for the public to get rid of leftover and expired prescription drugs.
On Wednesday, Aug. 7, the police officers will be participating in a Medication Take Back event. The event provides an easy and responsible means of disposal, keeps our drinking water clean, and educates people about prescription drug abuse and theft, officials say.
From 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., you can bring your pills for disposal to the Mid-County Community Recreation Center, which is located at 2004 Queensguard Rd. in Silver Spring.
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The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked. Police will not accept illegal drugs, liquids, needles, syringes, or sharps — only pills.
Residents are encouraged to remove prescription labels or black out personal information before dropping off pill bottles.
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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.
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