Law enforcement and health officials are urging people to safely dispose of their unused medications.
Saturday is Drug Take Back Day.
Many police and sheriff’s departments across the state will take in expired and unwanted prescription and over-the-counter drugs.
It’s free to drop them off.
Aspirus Pharmacy Resident Andrea Modlin says it’s a safe way to get rid of drugs you don’t need.
“If medications are disposed of incorrectly or kept in their house for a longer time than needed, it could potentially fall into the wrong hands whether it be young children or other family members by accident. If you throw them in the trash it could get into the wrong hands or it could get into our environment and potentially contaminate that,” said Modlin.
Last October’s Drug Take Back Day led to more than 54,000 pounds of medication being safely disposed of in Wisconsin.
If you can’t make it out tomorrow, there are drop-off boxes throughout the state that are usually open whenever the business or organization it’s at is open.
“Medications you want to avoid putting in these medication drop boxes include any illegal substances, anything as far as needles or sharps, or anything that has biohazardous materials such as bodily fluids, more specifically blood,” said Modlin.
Those restrictions apply to Drug Take Back Day as well.
You can find a drop-off location on the Department of Health Services website.
