Most everyone is guilty of this – storing unwanted or expired medications in our homes for months or even years, which can be very dangerous. While others flush them down the toilet, causing problems for our waterways. The solution to both of these threats is to participate in Drug Take Back events. This month, Erie County is working with community partners to hold events that make it easy for residents to properly dispose of prescription and over-the-counter medications and needles.

From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 12 a Free Drive-Through Disposal event will be held at the Erie County Fire Training Academy, 3359 Broadway, Cheektowaga. Prescriptions, over-the-counter medications and needles will be accepted, no questions asked. Just pull up, drop off your items, and you can be on your way.

The next event is a community-wide collection day, with at least 12 sites participating throughout the county. Any unwanted or expired prescription or over-the-counter medications, syringes, inhalers, liquids, ointments, patches, etc. can be dropped off from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 30. However, please do not bring mercury-containing or radioactive products.

Collection sites include:

• Bertrand Chaffee Hospital, 224 E. Main St., Springville
• North Collins Police Department, 10543 Main St., North Collins
• Mercy Ambulatory Care Center, 3669 Southwestern Blvd., Orchard Park
• Evans Center Town Hall, 8787 Erie Road, Evans

Studies have found traces of drugs in our drinking water, which causes great concern. Please, do not flush medications down your toilet or pour them down your drains. Also, storing expired and unwanted medications in your home increases the risk of accidental poisoning and abuse. Help protect our water and your safety by disposing of medicines properly through collection and incineration.

If you are unable to attend either of these events, remember that several law enforcement agencies host drug drop-off boxes. The Erie County Sheriff’s Office maintains several prescription collection boxes throughout the county, including Erie County Community College’s three campuses, Springville Municipal Building – Sheriff’s substation, and Brant Town Hall. Thousands of pounds of drugs and needles have been properly disposed of through this program. For a list of locations, please visit www.erie.gov/sheriff. This allows residents to drop off and dispose of items properly at a time that is convenient for them.

Please take a few minutes to check around your home for unwanted or expired medications and choose to dispose of them properly. If you have any family members or friends you know that store a large amount of medications, please let them know about these events as well. Together we can protect our waterways and each other.

For additional information, please contact my office at 858-8850 or email john.mills@erie.gov.