BERNARDS - Somerset County Sheriff Frank J. Provenzano invites county residents to take advantage of an upcoming medicine drop-off event to safely dispose of unwanted or outdated prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications.
A special collection will be held Saturday, March 22, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Bernards Township Public Works Garage, located at 277 S. Maple Ave., Basking Ridge, NJ 07920. This medicine drop-off-off opportunity is being held in conjunction with a scheduled Somerset County Household Hazardous Waste drop-off event. This is a rain or shine event.
Rx Mission Drive-in/Drop-Off is a medicine-collection program sponsored by the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office, the Somerset County Solid Waste Management Division and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
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Medications should be dropped off in their original packages or bottles with personal information such as name and address removed. The name of the medication should be visible. Illegal drugs, needles or sharps should not be brought to the drop-off.
“Leftover medicines pose serious safety and health threats and also raise environmental concerns. Prescription-drug abuse is the fastest-growing drug problem in the United States. Among youth, seven of the top 10 abused substances are pharmaceuticals,” said Sheriff Provenzano. “Additionally, medicines flushed down the drain or toilet can contaminate bodies of water, harm wildlife and end up in drinking-water supplies.
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“County residents have been very supportive of the program, and our community is safer because of their efforts,” said Sheriff Provenzano. “A total of 594 pounds of medicines were properly disposed of in 2013.”
Additional information on how to dispose of unused medicines is available at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration website at www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/BuyingUsingMedicineSafely/UnderstandingOver-the-CounterMedicines/ucm107163.pdf
Residents also can take advantage of the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office medicine collection drop box, 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, no questions asked. The drop box is located on the lower level of the Somerset County Administration Building at 20 Grove St., Somerville, NJ 08876, near the entrance to the Sheriff’s Office.
Following are Somerset County municipal 24/7 medicine drop-box locations that are part of the program: Bernards Township Police Department, 1 Collyer Lane, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920-(908) 766-1122; Branchburg Police Department, 590 Old York Road at Route 202 North, Branchburg, NJ 08876-(908) 526-3830; Franklin Township Police Department, 495 Demott Lane; Somerset, NJ 08873-(732) 873-5533; Hillsborough Township Police Department, 379 S. Branch Rd., Hillsborough NJ 08844-(908) 369-4323; and North Plainfield Police Department, 263 Somerset St., North Plainfield, NJ 07060-(908) 769-2937.
For more information regarding medicine collection in Somerset County, contact Lt. Steve SanAntonio at 908-231-7168 or Sheriff’s Officer Thomas Wallace at 908-231-7138.
