44°
The Putnam Communities That Care Coalition, in collaboration with the Putnam County Health Department and Putnam County Sheriff’s Department, will collect the medications from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hospital Center, 670 Stoneleigh Ave., Carmel, N.Y.
Bringing in expired or unwanted medications will insure they will be disposed of safely, according to the Sheriff's Department.
It avoids there being accidental poisonings or overdoses by leaving unwanted prescriptions in the home; and avoids medications causing harm to the environment by flushing them in the toilet or disposing of them in trash.
Disposing of medications safely is important for the following reasons:
- Medicines that are flushed down the drain or that leach from landfills eventually end up in public waterways.
- Pharmaceuticals have become a significant water pollutant nationwide, said a release.
- Prescription drug abuse is the fastest growing drug problem in the United States today.
- Home medicine cabinets can be now be seen as the “new” drug dealer, said a release.
For more information, call Robert Morris of the Putnam County Health Department at (845)808-1390, ext. 43166 or Bruce Kelly of the Putnam CTC Coalition at (845) 225-4646.
For those people who cannot make the event, there are MedReturn boxes in the following locations:
Carmel Police Department, Kent Police Department, Putnam County Sheriff’s Office in Carmel, Philipstown Town Hall and Putnam Valley Town Hall.
The boxes in the police departments are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
In Philipstown, the box is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and in Putnam Valley, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The boxes can take all unused or expired prescription medications, over the counter medicines, prescription ointments, pet medications and vitamins.
Do not deposit:
- Needles,
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Aerosol cans
- Lotions
- Liquids
- IV bags.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Putnam and receive free news updates.
