BAYONNE – The Bayonne Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will participate in Operation Take Back, an opportunity for residents to rid their homes of potentially dangerous, expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs, on Saturday, Sept. 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Residents are encouraged to bring their medications for disposal to the front lobby of City Hall, 630 Ave. C, between 27th and 28th streets.
“Operation Take Back addresses a vital public safety and public health issue,” said Mayor James Davis. “I urge all Bayonne residents to take part in this event if they have prescription drugs that should no longer be in their homes.”
The service is free and anonymous. Names and any other personal information should be removed from medication bottles.
Syringes and other sharp instruments will not be accepted, because they are not considered medication. They are in the category of medical waste.
Americans are now advised that their past methods for disposing of unused medicines, such as flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash, pose safety and health hazards.
According to the DEA, medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.
Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.
In the previous Take Back events held nationwide from 2010 to 2014, nearly five million pounds of drugs were collected.
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