Got Old Medicine? Here’s How To Safely Dispose Of It In Davidson

DAVIDSON, NC — It you’ve got old bottles of prescription medicine lingering in the back of your medicine cabinet — and who doesn’t — you can safely dispose of it at the Davidson Police Department Monday.

DPD offers a medicine drop box outside the west entrance of Davidson Town Hall every other Monday. The drop box will be available Monday, Aug. 13, from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Here is the medicine drop box schedule through the end of 2018:

• August 13 and 27
• September 10 and 24
• October 8 and 22
• November 5 and19
• December 3 and 17

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DPD asks that you adhere to the following guidelines for the drop box:

• Prescription medications only
• No liquids
• No over-the-counter medicines
• No sharp needles (The exception to this is out-of-date Epipens in their cases.)
• Please do not dispose of empty containers in the medicine drop box as they can easily be recycled in a household’s recycling container.
• Please remove all personal information (name and address) from the container prior to disposal.

“Our goal is to help our citizens legally and safely turn unneeded medications over to law enforcement for destruction, without exposing our staff to unsafe, hazardous materials,” said Davidson Police Chief Penny Dunn. “We have discovered toxic liquids, needles, and biological materials in the box when not monitored.”

For further information, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provides guidance for how to dispose of different kinds of medicine. That information may be found here.

Photo via Shutterstock