Press release here:
ASHEVILLE – Police are once again offering the public a chance to properly dispose of old, unused and unwanted prescription pills with a drop-off point at the station.
From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sept. 25, police will collect the pills in the front area of the Municipal Building, located at 100 Court Plaza downtown.
Residents will be able to drive up, dump unwanted pills, no questions asked.
Police will not accept sharps/needles.
The local effort is part of the first National Take-Back Day, organized by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.
APD hopes the initiative will spark residents to go through their medicine cabinets to remove unused and expired pills, which can be the target of thieves or sometimes teens who think prescription pills are less dangerous than illegal drugs.
In addition, many people don’t know how to safely dispose of unwanted pills and sometimes resort to flushing them down the toilet. Police and environmental experts discourage doing this because pharmaceuticals can end up in rivers and lakes.
The DEA is also assisting Asheville police with the safe disposal of the collected pills.
Other collection sites can be found at www.dea.gov.
Instructions on how to safely dispose of prescription medications, in the absence of a Take-Back Day, are available at www.nh.gov/medsafety.