Greer CPW is partnering with the Greer Police Department for their annual Drug Take Back Day event this Saturday, Oct. 25.
Residents can come to Greer CPW (301 McCall St.) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday to drop off any unwanted medications. The drive-through style event is open to the public, regardless of whether they are Greer CPW customers.
Prescription or over-the-counter pills and patches will be accepted at the event. Participants are asked not to bring any sharps or liquids. According to Alison Rauch, Public Information Coordinator with Greer CPW, disposing of medications without following proper protocols can have detrimental effects on the community.
“Unsafe medicine disposal has a direct impact on water quality and the environment,” Rauch said. “The water cycle is never-ending, so if someone flushes or pours medicine down the drain or toilet, it will eventually impact someone’s drinking water and the wildlife that call that body of water home.”
Greer CPW has partnered with the police department to host this event since 2016. It is held in conjunction with the U.S National Drug Enforcement Administration Take Back Day, and Rauch says that the team collects anywhere between 50 to 150 pounds of medication at the event each year.
Once the medicine is turned in, the CPW will send it to be burned in an incinerator. It is recommended that participants remove any personal information from medication bottles. Attendees can also combine all of their medicines into one sealable, plastic bag.
For those with liquid medications, while they cannot be disposed of at the event, Rauch says that they can be disposed of safely with cat litter or coffee grounds. It is recommended to pour some of this into a sealable, hard plastic jug, pour in your liquid medications, and then dispose of the container in the regular trash.
For more information on safe medication disposal, visit the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s webpage on safe disposal. For more information about Greer CPW, visit their website.
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