Drug Take Back Day scheduled for April 30
Local agencies are partnering with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 30, 2022, for Drug Take Back Day. The event is designed to prevent medication misuse, opioid addiction and environmental contamination by ridding homes of expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs.
Prescription drug abuse and disposal are both a public and environmental health threat. Improper disposal of medications via sewers or landfills leads to surface water contamination. Returning unused or unwanted medications to a pharmacy or bringing them to a law enforcement agency are the best methods for keeping these substances from entering the water supply.
Vernon County residents are encouraged to bring unwanted drugs to these area locations for disposal:
• El Dorado Springs Police Station, 1207 South Main St., El Dorado Springs, Mo., 64744
• Nevada Police Department, 120 South Ash St., Nevada, Mo., 64772
• Pittsburg Police Department, 201 N. Pine St., Pittsburg, Kan., 66762
Sites cannot accept liquids, needles or sharps, only pills or patches. The service is free and anonymous with no questions asked.
With funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the K-State Pollution Prevention Institute, or PPI, is offering education and outreach sessions to various communities in Kansas and Missouri with a focus on rural access to safe drug and sharps disposal. If your organization or community would like to learn more about safe disposal as a way to prevent drug abuse and keep toxic waste out of landfills, contact PPI by calling 800-578-8898.
For more information about proper disposal of prescription medications or the Drug Take Back Day event, visit www.sbeap.org/safe-disposal.