Take Back Your Prescription Drugs In Newton Saturday

Do you have a couple of bottles of old prescription medicine hiding in the back of your medicine cabinet you no longer use? Wonder what to do with them so they don't pollute the environment or hurt others? The Newton Police Department is joining hundreds across the country and taking part in the National Drug Take Back Initiative on Saturday, April 29.

The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day "aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications."

The take-back happens from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and residents can safely dispose of unwanted, unused, expired prescriptions by dropping them off just behind the Newton police station at the Support Services Bureau.

This can be done anonymously and includes all prescription and over the counter solid dosage medications, i.e., tablets and capsules.

Why the precaution? According to the FDA some prescription drugs to reduce the danger of unintentional use or overdose and illegal abuse. Another concern is environmental: Some have concerns about the practice of flushing certain medicines down the toilet because of trace levels of drug residues found in rivers and lakes and in some cases drinking water.

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The drugs collected from the event are then rendered “non-retrievable” according to the DEA. In 2014, the DEA released specific rules for how to dispose of drugs collected at these events: incineration and dissolving a drug into a solution and is rendered unusable.

The Newton Police are collaborating with the Newton Health and Human Services departments and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to help get these prescription drugs out safely.

What not to bring: Intravenous solutions, Injectable Drugs or Needles-(Police said that needles can be brought to the Rumford Avenue Recycling Depot for disposal).

Police noted that this prescription take back day is for household disposal only (no businesses).

Address/Location
The Newton Police Department
1321 Washington Street
Newton, MA 02465

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