169 pounds of prescriptions turned in to New Castle County

Over the past seven months, 169 pounds of unwanted prescription drugs have been turned in at the New Castle County Public Safety Building.

In June 2013, the Delaware Division of Public Health launched an effort to collect unwanted prescriptions through a receptacle box placed at the county police headquarters.  The drop box is available around the clock, seven days a week.

Officers with the Inventory Control Unit regularly empty the box to make way for new discarded pills.  In just seven months, they’ve collected 169 pounds of prescription drugs.

The goal of the collection program is to keep chemicals in the drugs out of the water supply. The widespread tradition of disposing of drugs by flushing them down the toilet has led to some of those chemicals passing through the usual water treatment process and being discharged into the environment, including streams and rivers.

Previously, state health officials have held one-time events to collect unwanted prescriptions. The drop-off box gives people a chance to get rid of their prescriptions at a time that’s most convenient.