The City of Carrollton will participate in the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing prescription drugs. The drop-off location will be the south parking lot of the Carrollton Police Station (2025 E. Jackson Road).

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) coordinates a one-day collaborative effort with local agencies to remove potentially dangerous prescription drugs from homes. The public will be able to surrender expired, unwanted, or unused pharmaceutical substances and other medications to law enforcement officers for destruction. There will be no questions or requests for identification.

Participants may dispose of medication in its original container. Controlled, non-controlled, and over-the-counter substances will be collected. All solid dosage pharmaceutical products and liquids in consumer containers will also be accepted. Liquid products, such as cough syrup, should remain in their original containers with the cap tightly sealed to prevent leakage.

Items that will not be accepted include any items marked biohazard, sharps, inhaler medications as well as bulk quantity medications from pharmacies, veterinarians, or submissions from other medical organizations. Illegal substances will also not be collected.

Results from the most recent DEA national survey on drug use and health showed that 18.6 million Americans over the age of 12 have misused controlled prescription drugs over the last year. According to the DEA, non-medical use of prescription drugs ranks as the second most common form of drug abuse in America, and the majority of teenagers abusing drugs get them from family, friends, or the home medicine cabinet.

The DEA considers prescription drug collection programs the best way to dispose of old or unused drugs, as cleaning out medicine cabinets helps to minimize accidental poisoning, overdose, and abuse. Notably, flushed, unused prescription drugs can contaminate the water supply and cause widespread harmful effects.

Proper disposal of unused drugs saves lives and protects the environment. Since October 2017, more than 11,221 pounds have been collected in Carrollton.

If residents require additional means of drug disposal, there are several options available year-round including the drop box in the Carrollton Police Department jail lobby. Acceptable items include prescription medications, pills, patches, ointments, over-the-counter medications, vitamins, medication samples, and pet medications. No item marked biohazard, needles, or sharps are accepted at the PD jail drop box.

Republic Services, Carrollton’s residential solid waste provider, offers a curbside Household Hazardous Waste program which includes the careful collection and handling of medical sharps. Call 469-451-3713 (Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.) or download the Household Hazardous Waste and Electronic Waste Collection Instructions form by clicking Household Hazardous Waste at cityofcarrollton.com/solidwaste.

Email the completed form to CarrolltonHHW@republicservices.com to set up an appointment for the collection of these items. Medical sharps must be in a sharps container or a plastic container with a screw-on lid (ex: an empty laundry detergent bottle). Residents will be mailed a collection bag in which to place the container in preparation for the collection appointment.

For more information on the many local resources available for medication disposal, including area pharmacies and FDA disposal recommendations, visit cityofcarrollton.com/drugdisposal.