How Some Gloucester Twp. Residents Can Make Their Homes A Bit Safer Saturday

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ – Saturday, April 30, is National Take Back Day, the Drug Enforcement Agency’s twice-a-year initiative to help make homes safer, the DEA said on its website.

“Too often, unused prescription drugs find their way into the wrong hands,” the DEA said on its website. “That's dangerous and often tragic.”

Therefore, on National Take Back Day, the DEA encourages people to rummage through drawers, medicine cabinets, purses – anywhere they keep their and their family members’ unused prescription drugs – and then drop them off – no questions asked – at the police department headquarters on Chews Landing Road.

Some police departments will not accept liquids, syringes or pill bottles and similar containers, so it’s advised to put the no-longer-needed medications in a clear plastic bag before you get to the drop-off site.

If you can’t participate on Saturday, you can call your local police department’s non-emergency number or local municipal government to see what your options are.

Some police departments and municipal governments have clearly labeled drop-off containers in their offices that can also be used to drop off unused prescriptions year-round. There is also another National Take Back Day in October.

During the October 2021 National Take Back Day, representatives from 4,276 police departments who staffed 4,982 unused prescription drug drop-off sites collected 744,082 pounds – or 372 tons – of no-longer-needed medications, the DEA said.

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