Many people take prescription medications. Sometimes, they will start one and stop it shortly after because of side effects. Other times, they’ll be prescribed more than they need.
In those cases, it’s important to return the unused medications to a pharmacy or other approved location. Doing this helps prevent those medications from being used by people who don’t have a prescription, from getting into the water supply, or from ending up in landfills. Returning unused medications may also help you avoid having them somewhere in your home where they could be abused, so it’s worth locating a local source for returning those pills safely. National Prescription Take-Back Day offers an opportunity for you to drop off unneeded prescription drugs safely and conveniently. Reach out to Georgia Addiction Treatment Center to learn more about prescription take-backs.
What Is National Prescription Take-Back Day?
National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day happens on April 24, 2021. The Drug Enforcement Agency offers the event from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on that date. This creates a convenient, safe, and responsible way for people to return their prescription drugs.
The secondary goal of National Prescription Take-Back Day is to educate the general public on how medications are abused.
Who Hosts Sites for Collection on National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day?
Local law enforcement agencies and pharmaceutical locations participate in National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.
What If You Can’t Get to a Collection Site?
If you can’t get to a collection site to turn in your prescriptions, there are some different ways to dispose of them. There are year-round disposal locations that accept medications, such as local pharmacies, so there should always be someone willing to accept old and unused painkiller medications.
However, if you cannot get to a collection site, your prescription may be disposable through other means. While the first choice is a drug take-back event, you may also use household disposal steps to eliminate them.
How Should You Eliminate Medications Through Household Disposal?
If you want to use household disposal steps, you should:
- Take your medications out of the prescription bottles.
- Mix those medications up with substances that aren’t desirable, such as coffee grounds or sand
- After that, put the mixture into a disposable container that can be secured with a lid. A sealable bag or empty container may work well for this purpose.
- Any personal information on your Rx bottle should be removed next. Cover it with permanent marker if there is no other option.
- Finally, toss the sealed container with the drug mixture into the trash. It may be a good idea to separate old bottles from the bags with the medications just to be safe.
Doing these steps makes it less likely that someone will come across these medications and steal them for their own personal use.
Improper Disposal Could Impact Local Water Sources
It’s important not to dispose of drugs in the wrong way. Flushing them, as is often seen in media, is not the best idea. This can cause the drugs to leech into local groundwater, which potentially contaminates entire water bodies. Though this water may go through a water treatment plant for purification purposes, those plants don’t routinely remove medications.
Reach Out to Georgia Addiction Treatment Center
At Georgia Addiction Treatment Center, we want to help you and the people you love focus on healthy living and a life free of drug abuse and addiction. If you are interested in learning more about National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day or local programs near you that will accept prescription medications when you’ve finished using them, we would be happy to help. Call our team today at [Direct] to learn more about our team, services, and how we can help you on the path to sobriety.
