If you have a bunch of old expired drugs and other medicine piling up in your bathroom cabinet, now’s the time to get rid of those potentially dangerous products properly.
While many people just flush old drugs down the toilet or casually toss them into the trash, water quality officials and law enforcement officers warn that those aren’t wise things to do.
However, on Saturday, Oct. 23, the Guilford County Sheriff’s Department will take those drugs off your hands and dispose of them in a way that keeps everyone – and their pets – safe.
“Operation Medicine Drop” will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Sheriff’s Department’s administrative headquarters at 400 W. Washington St. in downtown Greensboro. Some old-timers know the place as the Otto Zenke building and, even though some believe the building is haunted, there should be plenty of security around that day for your protection.
According to a press release announcing the event, Operation Medicine Drop has gotten rid of more than 246 million prescription and over-the-counter pills since it began in 2010, “saving countless lives as well as the environment.”
“You can help your family and community by keeping unused or expired medications out of the wrong hands,” the Sheriff’s Department notes.
In addition to publicized disposal events like the one later this month, there are permanent drug drop-off collection stations around Guilford County at places like medical offices and drug stores. You can find those locations at https://www.ncosfm.gov/injury-prevention/operation-medicine-drop along with the hours of operation.
More info regarding the safe disposal of drugs can be found at the federal Food and Drug Administration’s website at https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/BuyingUsingMedicineSafely/EnsuringSafeUseofMedicine/SafeDisposalofMedicines/default.htm.
Why not take them by the nearest Walgreens for disposal. Makes more sense than giving them to a government agency.