Take a look in your medicine cabinet and you likely will find at least one container of unwanted or expired medication which you should dispose. Unused medications can be accidently ingested, stolen, misused and abused.
You can take advantage of getting rid of unwanted medication safely: the National Drug Take Back Day is on Saturday, April 29, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. The Newport News Police Department along with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will be collecting potentially dangerous, expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs for destruction. Newport News Police Department precincts will serve as the collection points.
South Precinct, 3303 Jefferson Avenue
Central Precinct, 611 Dresden Drive
North Precinct, 368 DeShazor Drive
So, why can’t you just flush unused medications? For about 1.6 million people in Hampton Roads, what you flush down your toilet or wash down your drains, ends up at a HRSD wastewater treatment plant. A treatment plant can not remove medication from wastewater. When medications are poured down the sink or flushed down the toilet, they can contaminate the environment and the aquatic life when the treated wastewater is discharged back into our waterways.
If you are unable to participate in the Drug Take Back Day, and you have medications to throw away, please follow the steps recommended by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s
Disposal of Home Pharmaceuticals.