Got Drugs? Turn Them In

Delaware Governor: Jack Markell

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Written on: April 27th, 2012 in Helping Our Neighbors

Most families have some type of unused prescription medication in their medicine cabinets. The Markell family is cleaning out its cabinets this week and we invite you to do the same.

Unused prescription drugs pose a threat to our children, our families and our environment, which is why Delaware is again partnering with the Drug Enforcement Agency to sponsor National Take-Back Prescription Drug Day this Saturday, April 28, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The National Drug Take-Back Day is a convenient, safe way to dramatically reduce the amount of expired and unused drugs in our medicine cabinets and in our homes. Our collective participation offers numerous benefits.

We improve the safety of our homes and communities by preventing undesirable behaviors, such as unauthorized use or abuse of prescription drugs.
We reduce the chance of a person using expired medicines, either purposefully or by accident by better organizing (and de-cluttering) medicine cabinets.
We protect our environment by not allowing expired medicines to come in contact with groundwater when they are thrown in the garbage or flushed down the toilet, and by keeping them away from wildlife and domestic animals.

Gov. Markell announces Drug Take-Back Day

So take some time over the next several days to check the medicines in your home and to remind your friends and family to do the same. Delawareans can drop off all unneeded prescription and over-the-counter pills, liquids and cream medications (and even pet medications) at any one of the 31 collection sites statewide. The collection is both free and anonymous, so be sure to remove any personal information from bottles and packages. All drugs collected will be taken to special locations and incinerated.

Last October, Delaware’s collection sites took in 4,465 pounds of medications. We hope to meet or exceed that level on Saturday.

To find a collection site near you, click on the banner above or call 1-800-882-9539.