Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz and Health Commissioner Dr. Gale Burstein recently announced a free drug drop-off disposal event on Tuesday, August 2 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Erie County Emergency Services Training and Operations Center, 3359 Broadway, Cheektowaga.

“This one-day event will provide a safe way for residents to dispose of unneeded prescription drugs and any over-the-county medications in a safe, efficient and responsible manner,” said Poloncarz. “Providing a quick and easy drive-thru procedure to dispose of unwanted medications can help avoid having these potentially dangerous substances accumulate in your home.”

All prescription and over-the-counter drugs will be accepted with a no-questions-asked approach at the drop-off by employees from the county’s departments of Health and Environment and Planning. A similar drop-off disposal event held in 2015 resulted in the burning of 2,000 pounds of drugs, of which approximately 10 percent were controlled substances. Also collected during that one-day drive-thru event were 74 boxes of needles, which translates to 2,960 pounds of used syringes.

“This event will allow anyone to safely dispose of their unused and unwanted drugs, which will go a long way in helping prevent these medications from being abused or disposed of in a non-environmentally safe fashion,” said Burstein. “This is the perfect opportunity to clean out your cabinets and drawers and dispose of those outdated and unneeded medications, whether they are prescription drugs or over-the-county pills or liquids.”

County officials want to encourage all residents to closely monitor any prescription drugs located in their possession, to secure all prescription medications in a secure, preferably locked location and immediately dispose of unneeded prescription drugs when they become outdated and/or are no longer needed.

Erie County also offers year-round monitored Medication Disposal Sites. These permanent disposal sites provide a free, safe and convenient way of proper disposal whenever needed so that unwanted drugs can be removed from households in an expedient fashion. A list of Medication Disposal Sites can be found at www.erie.gov/health/esap

For more information: On the Erie County Department of Health visit: http://www2.erie.gov/health/