Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022 is Prescription Drug Take Back Day
Oct. 27, 2022
By Katie Minor
This Saturday, Oct. 29, several locations around the county will be designated as National Prescription Drug Take Back Day sites. Law enforcement will be at these sites to take medications so they can be safely disposed of from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on that day.
The sites include all three Kroger locations in Monongalia County: Suncrest Towne Centre, Sabraton and Patteson; Pierpont Landing Pharmacy; Mon Health Medical Center; the Village at Heritage Point, the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department and the Morgantown Police Department.
Some locations, such as law enforcement offices, take back drugs year-round. If you are not able to get to a collection site, there are other options to dispose of your drugs properly.
We usually say to avoid flushing medications down the toilet, but here is a safe flush list from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These are drugs that are especially dangerous if taken improperly or are often sought after for their abuse potential. The list mostly includes drugs that contain opioids, such as fentanyl, methadone and oxycodone. If you are about to flush a drug, be sure to check it is on the flush list.
For medications not on the flush list, you can safely dispose of the drug in your trash at home by following these steps:
Mix medicines with something unappealing, like coffee grounds or cat litter. Do not crush pills or capsules.
Place the mixture in a container, such as an empty bottle or sealed plastic bag.
Throw the container in the trash.
Scratch out all personal information from the medication packaging and dispose of that container in the trash as well.
Drug Take Back Day is observed annually, which is how often you might want to check on your prescriptions. But remember, you don’t have to wait for a national observance to mark this off of your to-do list.