Camden County Drop Boxex Aiding in Battle Against Opiate Abuse

Camden County is using a number of prescription drug drop boxes located across Camden County to provide residents with a free and anonymous way to dispose of unwanted prescription drugs.

The drop box in Gloucester Township collected nearly 600 pounds of prescription drugs since its installation, as of Oct. 1, 2014.

The Camden County Addiction Awareness Task Force provides a list of drop box locations on their website www.addictions.camdencounty.com to prevent these potentially dangerous expired and unused prescription drugs to fall into the wrong hands.

“Everyone should check their medicine cabinet for unwanted prescription drugs that expire and become permanent fixtures in bathrooms throughout the county.” Camden County Freehold Director Louis Cappelli, Jr. said. “We recognize the importance of having a safe and legal way to dispose of these substances, and are working in cooperation with every municipality in Camden County to identify drop-off sites.”

Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse, Capelli Jr. said. Officials are advising that previous methods used to dispose of unused medicines, including flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash, pose potential safety and health hazards.

Last year, Americans turned in more than 300 tons of unwanted prescription drugs at over 5,400 drop-off sites across the country, according to Cappelli Jr.

“As a mother, educator and elected official, the addiction crisis in Camden County is one of my biggest concerns. Prescription drugs have become the number one abused substance by young people because they are accessible and go fairly undetected.” Camden County Freeholder Carmen Rodriguez, liaison to the Camden County Health Department, said. “Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. Parents and grandparents become the unwitting supplier of these dangerous substances.”

In addition, the Camden County Health Department always reminds residents to keep their prescriptions safe and locked away. Having a secure place for storage of these medications is an important issue in order to keep them out of the hands of children so they are not abused.

Anyone who needs help is advised to call the 24/7 toll-free confidential hotline for addiction help at 877-266-8222.

Unwanted prescriptions may be disposed at the locations listed below. Check the Camden County Addiction Awareness Task Force website for additional locations that will be added in the coming months.

Bellmawr Police Department

Municipal Building, 1st Floor

21 East Browning Road

Bellmawr, NJ 08031

Cherry Hill Police Department

820 Mercer Street

Cherry Hill, NJ 08002

Gloucester Township Police Department

Municipal Building

1261 Chews Landing Road

Laurel Springs, NJ 08021

Haddon Heights Police Department

625 Station Avenue

Haddon Heights, NJ 08035

Magnolia Police Department

438 W. Evesham Ave

Magnolia, NJ 08049

Pine Hill Police Department

Administration Building

48 W 6th Avenue

Pine Hill, NJ 08021

Voorhees Police Department

1180 White Horse Road

Voorhees Township, NJ 08043

Waterford Police Department

2131 Auburn Avenue

Atco, NJ 08004

Winslow Township Police Department

125 Route 73

Braddock, NJ 08037