Got any medications that you don’t need any more or has expired? The Allegheny County Police want to help take them off your hands.
As part of National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, southwestern Pennsylvania residents can drop off their unused medications at the North Park and South Park County Police stations on Saturday.
Allegheny County Police Inspector Glenn Zilch said there are dangers in keeping medications you no longer need, and there’s a chance the pills could make their way into the wrong hands.
“Not only family members, but people knowing that you have these medications (means) you’re yourself up for a burglary, (or) robbery,” Zilch said. “I understand that expired medications are really of no use, so you want to get rid of those.”
Zilch said the Allegheny County Police has participated in the statewide program for the past five years.
“In the terms of weight of prescription drugs, and it’s hard to grasp, it’s over two million pounds of unwanted or unused prescription drugs have been collected and removed from circulation throughout the state,” he said.
Zilch said once the medications are collected federal Drug Enforcement Administration officials will package them, take them back to their regional headquarters and then incinerate them.
For those who cannot make their way to the drop offs this weekend, the Food and Drug Administration has instructions on how to properly dispose of medications in the trash and a list of what medications should be flushed on its website.
