National Drug Takeback Day is coming up on Saturday, October 26. Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Hastings Police Department, South Heartland District Health Department (SHDHD), Area Substance and Alcohol Abuse Prevention (ASAAP) and law enforcement agencies in Webster and Clay Counties are encouraging residents to use this opportunity to get rid of old and unused prescription medications.
There are several safe and easy ways to dispose of drugs. To participate in the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (D.E.A.)’s National Drug Take Back Day the general public may take prescription and over-the-counter pills to area law enforcement officials on Saturday, Oct. 26, where they will be collected anonymously to be safely destroyed. In the South Heartland Health District, locations include:
• Walmart parking lot dropoff site in Hastings – from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 26, hosted by Adams County Sheriff’s Office and Hastings Police Department
• Clay County’s Sheriff’s Office in Clay Center (provides ongoing disposal all year)
• Webster County Sheriff’s Office in Red Cloud (provides ongoing disposal all year - call first: 402-746-2722)
• Adams County Sheriff’s Office will also accept drugs at the Adams County Courthouse, on MWF, all year.
While Oct. 26 provides a special emphasis on drug take back, “Every Day is Take Back Day” according to the D.E.A., and there are several other ongoing options available locally. There is now a new, permanent box outside of the pharmacy at Walmart in Hastings where the public may place old or unused medications, anonymously.
In addition, any pharmacy within SHDHD’s counties (Adams, Clay, Nuckolls and Webster) will accept old prescription medications and see that they are properly destroyed. For more information and locations across Nebraska visit: https://www.nebraskameds. org/.
The Deterra safe at-home medication deactivation and disposal kit is another option to dispose of unused or expired medications. The kit includes a small brown bag containing a substance that deactivates and dissolves up to 15 pills when water is added to the ingredients.
The entire Deterra package containing the pills can then be thrown away with household trash. Larger bags are available for larger quantities of pills. Free Deterra kits, supplied by ASAAP, are available at ASAAP and at SHDHD, along with several other locations within the 4-county area. Contact SHDHD at (877)238-7595 or ASAAP (402)463-0524 for more information.
Tam Pauley, a public health nurse leading drug overdose prevention initiatives for SHDHD, said that unused pills left in the home pose a public safety and public health threat.
“They can cause accidental poisoning to children and pets. Sometimes they are taken intentionally by people we would not ordinarily suspect,” she said.
“Please make sure your home is free from drugs for the sake of children, pets, adult family members, visitors and others. Clean out medicine cabinets and get rid of your old medications with one of these drug disposal options that won’t hurt the environment,” Pauley said.
For questions about how to dispose of old medications safely, call South Heartland District Health Department at 402-462-6211. In case of a poisoning emergency, contact Poison Control Center 800-222-1222.
