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On Saturday, April 30, several law enforcement agencies around the Capital District took part in National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.
The annual partnership between local police and the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) provides safe locations where people can properly dispose of unwanted prescription medications.
Among the agencies taking part this year was the Greene County Sheriff’s Office.
In a Facebook post, they announced the event had yielded a whopping 145 pounds of unwanted medicine.
The Saratoga County’s Sheriff’s Office said it collected 118 pounds of drugs.
Other collection sites were held around Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer, and Columbia counties.
For those who missed Saturday’s event, the DEA has a list of year-round collection sites on its website.
The DEA said the ultimate goal is to keep controlled substances out of the wrong hands and prevent overdose deaths.
"The drug overdose epidemic in the United States is a clear and present public health, public safety, and national security threat," the agency said.
"DEA is committed to making our communities safer and healthier, and we can do this by reducing overdoses and overdose deaths."
Besides preventing potential abuse, the agency said proper disposal of medications is also important to prevent accidental contamination of drinking water.
Drugs flushed down the toilet in a home with a septic tank could end up seeping into ground water, the agency said.
There’s also the risk that medications from sewer-connected homes could pass through water treatment systems and end up in lakes and rivers.
If you can’t make it to a drop-off site, the DEA suggests disposing of unwanted prescription medications by first mixing them with undesirable substances, like cat litter or coffee grounds.
That mixture can then be placed into a disposable container with a lid and tossed in the trash.
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