(Estherville)– It’s time to clean out unwanted and expired medicines, Becky Thoreson explains:
National Take Back Day is this coming Saturday, when the public is encouraged to rid their homes of potentially dangerous expired or unwanted drugs. Sponsored by the DEA, locations across the country will be accepting unwanted medications at no charge with assistance from local law enforcement.
Among the locations, Avera Holy Family Hospital in Estherville. Pharmacy Manager Kristie Huff explains…(click here for comment…) “We welcome anybody to stop by and drop off their unwanted medications. These can be unwanted prescription drugs or non-prescription medications. Nobody has to worry about removing their names or labels, it’s no questions asked. You just toss them in our collection box, and then once the collection boxes are full, they are sealed up. The Police Department actually takes care of shipping them back to the DEA, and then the DEA sends them to be incinerated.
So, it’s just a good way for people to clean out their cabinets of what they’re not using and no longer need, and gives them a good way to get rid of these agents that they don’t need so they don’t end up in our landfill. They can be assured that they are being disposed of properly and wasted properly so they don’t end up in our water supply.”
Other locations include both of the Spencer and Spirit Lake Hy-Vee Parking Lots, Sioux Rapids City Hall, The Palo Alto County Sheriff’s Office in Emmetsburg and The Kossuth County Sheriff’s Office in Algona. The Take Back Program occurs from 10-2 on Saturday April 27th at all locations. I’m Becky Thoreson.
Details may be found online at https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov
