April 27, 2018 – West Bend, WI – The city of West Bend Police Department, in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), will participate in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 28, 2018 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at 1115 S. Main St., in the parking lot in front of West Bend City Hall.
This effort will continue to bring focus to the issue of prescription painkiller abuse in Wisconsin. Drug Take Back Day provides a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposal, while also educating the community about the potential abuse and consequences of improper storage and disposal of these medications.
“Last year, opioids killed 827 people in Wisconsin,” said Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel. “We know that more than two thirds of people who have abused prescription painkillers first got them illegally from a friend or family member. Every household in Wisconsin has the ability to help save lives and cut down on prescription drug abuse by storing prescription drugs securely and disposing of unused medication through proper methods, like DOJ’s biannual Drug Take Back Day.”
Unused or expired medicine should never be flushed or poured down the drain. Water reclamation facilities are not designed to remove all of them and trace amounts of pharmaceuticals are showing up in rivers and lakes.
GUIDELINES:
All waste pharmaceuticals must be generated by a household – no businesses are allowed.
Bring: Prescription (controlled and non-controlled) and over-the-counter medications, ointments, patches, inhalers, non-aerosol sprays, creams, vials and pet medications.
Do Not Bring: Illegal drugs, needles/sharps, acids, aerosol cans, bio-hazardous materials (anything containing a bodily fluid or blood), personal care products (shampoo, soaps, lotions, sunscreens), household hazardous waste (paint, pesticides, oil, gas), mercury thermometers.
· Participants may dispose of solid, non-liquid medication(s) by removing the medication from its container and disposing of it directly into a disposal box or into a clear sealable plastic bag. Plastic pill containers should not be collected. Blister packages without the medications being removed are acceptable.
· Liquids will be accepted during this initiative. However, the liquids, creams and sprays must be in their original packaging. Liquids without the original packaging will not be accepted.
· Illicit substances such as marijuana or methamphetamine are not a part of this initiative and should not be placed in collection containers.
Community members are also reminded that there is a drug disposal box open year-round in the Police Department lobby.
For questions about the Prescription Drug Take Back Day event, contact Lt. Richard Lucka at (262 )335-5012