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Drug Take Back day in Parker CO

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National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

Flyer

Prescription medications play an important role in the health of millions of Americans. However, expired medications or unused drugs often stay in the back of cabinets for months or even years. These expired drugs can pose significant health hazards to toddlers, teens and even family pets who may inadvertently consume medications. Some medications are so potent that even one dose could be fatal if accidentally ingested. Throwing away certain medications in trash cans or flushing them down the toilet can be a safety and health hazard, too.

Saturday, April 29

Times 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

Parker Police Department Parking Lot

18600 E. Lincoln Meadows Parkway

We cannot accept needles and sharps, mercury (thermometers), oxygen containers, chemotherapy/radioactive substances, pressurized canisters and illicit drugs.

National Drug Take-Back Events

About the Program
The Parker Police Department collects potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs for destruction as part of the National Prescription Drug Take-Back campaign twice a year.The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and other government, community, public health and law enforcement partners are part of a nationwide prescription drug take-back initiative that seeks to prevent increased pill abuse and theft.This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Many Americans are not aware that medicines that remain in home cabinets are highly susceptible to misuse and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are increasing at alarming rates, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, many Americans do not know how to properly dispose of their unused medicine, often flushing it down the toilet or throwing it away – both potential safety and health hazards.
Items Not Accepted
  • Chemotherapy and radioactive substances
  • Illicit drugs
  • Mercury thermometers
  • Needles and sharps
  • Pressurized canisters

Other Drop-Off Locations
The Parker Police Department encourages you to take your expired or no longer used prescription drugs to a pharmaceutical drop-off location. For a list of year-round locations see the Pharmaceutical Drop-Off Locations.

Disposing of Needles and Sharps
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment recommends the following for ways to dispose of needles and sharps.

Syringes, pen needles and lancets are not recyclable and should never be placed in a recycle bin.

If a local program is not available, the next preferred option is to utilize a sharps mail back program where the service provider sends you a prepaid sharps collection container and return box. When you return the container, the contents are send to a medical waste treatment facility for processing and disposal.

If you can’t afford to utilize a mail back service, you should place your used sharps in a strong plastic or metal container with a screw-on lid or lid that can be tightly secured. Do not use glass containers or used milk containers. Clearly label the container with the words Sharps or Biohazardous Waste. The securely sealed container can be placed in your trash. Do not put the container in with your recyclables.

 

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