13 Sites Around Erie County to Serve as Locations for Free Disposal of Unwanted, Expired Meds

ERIE COUNTY, NY—The Erie County Department of Environment and Planning (“DEP”), Covanta Energy, and community partners have announced that a countywide prescription drug drop-off event will be held on Saturday, September 26 from 10 AM – 2 PM at 13 different sites around Erie County. The widespread collection effort will collect unwanted and expired prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, syringes, inhalers, liquids, ointments, and patches. The event allows residents a free, safe disposal alternative for these products.

“Unfortunately, addiction to opiate-based drugs like heroin often starts when a child becomes addicted to unused pain medications prescribed for adults. The best way to prevent the addiction is to remove the unused drugs from the home, and collection events like these give residents a safe way to protect themselves, their families, and the environment,” said Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz. “Storing any type of expired or unneeded medication in the home increases the risk of accidental poisoning or theft, and it’s important to protect our water supply by not flushing medications down the drain to dispose of them. On September 26, we can all act to protect our environment and ourselves by bringing these items to the nearest drop-off site.”

Scheduled collection sites for the September 26 drop-off event are:

• Bertrand Chaffee Hospital, 224 E. Main St., Springville
• Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Ave., Buffalo
• Buffalo State College, 1300 Elmwood Ave. Lot R4, Buffalo
• North Collins Police Department, 10543 Main St., North Collins
• Grand Island Town Hall, 2255 Baseline Road, Grand Island
• Kenmore Mercy Hospital, 2950 Elmwood Ave., Kenmore
• Mercy Ambulatory Care Center, 3669 Southwestern Blvd., Orchard Park
• Millard Fillmore Hospital, 1540 Maple Rd., Williamsville
• Evans Center Town Hall, 8787 Erie Road, Evans
• Sisters of Charity, St. Joseph’s Campus, 2605 Harlem Rd., Cheektowaga
• Twin District Volunteer Fire Company, 4999 William St., Lancaster
• Town of Hamburg Recreation & Senior Center, 4540 Southwestern Blvd., Hamburg
• West Seneca Senior Center, 4620 Seneca St., West Seneca

NO mercury-containing or radioactive products will be accepted.

For more information on the prescription drug drop-off event, visit http://www2.erie.gov/emvironment/