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Residents can get rid of old prescription medicines and cans of paint Saturday during the town's drug take-back program. New Canaan is one of several communities participating in the national event. The town will collect unused medicines from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the wastewater treatment plant, located at 394 Main St.
The effort was organized by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency to prevent prescription drug abuse. Kathleen Holland, director of inland wetlands and watercourses, said it's also important to get old medicines out of homes so they do not get into the waste stream and affect natural resources.
"Sometimes, people flush them and it gets into our environment. We don't really know what would happen if everyone decided to flush their antibiotics," Holland said.
This will be the second drug take-back for New Canaan. The town accepted prescription drugs in May and approximately 100 cars showed up. One person's trunk was filled with drugs. Holland said many homes have old prescriptions for people who chose to live out their final days at home.
The Department of Public Works will also be at the wastewater treatment plant from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. to collect paint and other hazardous household materials. Don Smith, assistant director of the town's transfer station, said he expects about 400 residents to drop off old oil-based paints, adhesives, pesticides and other potentially dangerous materials.
"It's more about the danger to kids and danger to themselves," Smith said. "Some of the stuff is combustible."
Public works officials want to collect these materials rather than have them end up in regular trash, where they could cause fires or other problems at the waste transfer station.
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