The 4th National Take Back Program sponsored by DEA
will be held
Saturday, April 28, 2012
10 AM to 2 PM
For Locations—Go to DEA Collection Site Locator
DEA National Take Back Announcement
List of Permanent Take Back Sites
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**News!**
"The Results are In for the October 2011 Take Back Event"
The October collection event was a success with nearly 4,000 pounds of unused medications collected from Utah households! The next collection event is Saturday, April 28, 2012—but you do not need to wait until then to properly dispose of unused medications. Find a permanent disposal location in your county here...
"Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010"
Congress passed the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010 to give consumers a safe and responsible way to dispose of unused prescription drugs. Consumers currently seeking to reduce the amount of expired or unwanted prescription drugs in their homes have few disposal options, increasing the risk drug abuse and poisonings. The Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010 seeks to reduce these risks by permitting individuals to deliver their unused medications to responsible state and private drug take-back programs.
Up to 17 percent of prescribed medication goes unused, and if improperly disposed, may contribute to drug diversion and environmental problems. The bill would allow consumers to give controlled substances to specially designated individuals for disposal, such as law enforcement officials. It also would allow long-term care facilities to dispose of certain prescription drugs on behalf of their residents.
Teenagers now abuse prescription drugs more than any other illegal drug except for marijuana, and the majority of teens who abuse these drugs get them for free, usually from friends and relatives and often without their knowledge.
If you would like to read the text of the Bill, see: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:S.3397: or http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-3397
Why are Unused Prescription and
Over-the-Counter Medications a Concern?
The Problem is Two-Fold:
- Studies have shown that pharmaceuticals and over the counter drugs are present in our nation's waterbodies and certain drugs may cause ecological harm. Outdated or unusable drugs that are disposed of by flushing or pouring down a sink, enter the environment because wastewater treatment facilities are not designed to remove them;
- Storing unused or outdated prescriptions creates an opportunity for illicit use. One in five teens report intentionally misusing someone else's prescription drugs to get high. Nearly half say they get the medications from friends and relatives for free, often by raiding the medicine cabinet or by attending "pharming parties" where teens barter legal drugs and get high.
What Should I do with my Unused Medications?
DO NOT FLUSH! DO NOT POUR!
Prescription, or over the counter medications, should not be flushed down the toilet or poured down a sink. Follow these guidelines to dispose of these products properly:
- First, check with your police department to see if they have a drug collection program. Police departments in fourteen counties have established a proper disposal program, click here for locations;
- Second, check to see if your community household hazardous waste program collects medications (they must have law enforcement officials present) or if your community is holding a Clean Out Your Medicine Cabinet event; and
- Lastly, if no collection options exist, follow these steps:
- Remove all personal identification from prescription bottles;
- Mix all unused drugs with coffee grounds, kitty litter, or another undesirable substance, and/or
- Place this mixture in a sealed container before disposing in the trash.
Proper Pharmaceutical Drug Disposal Brochure
Additional Links and Resources
- CDC Prescription Painkiller Overdoses Fact Sheet
- Rx Use Only As Directed
- A Guide on Hazardous Waste Management for Florida's Pharmacies (3.0 MB)
* Note: Some of the files on this page require the Adobe Acrobat Reader.
This website is sponsored by the following agencies:
- Utah Poison Control Center
- Salt Lake City Public Utilities and Police Departments
- Utah Department of Health
- Salt Lake Valley Health Department
- Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office
- Utah Department of Environmental Quality
