Shrewsbury Drug Take-Back This Saturday

There are many reasons someone would want to dispose of old drugs that were used to treat various ailments, but officials aren't going to ask what your reasons are this weekend.

Residents of Shrewsbury can drop off their old medicines at the Shrewsbury Senior Center on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Health officials ask residents to bring their unused prescriptions to drop off locations to prevent the chemicals from entering ground water where it could end up being consumed by animals or entering the public water supply.

"In cities and towns where residences are connected to wastewater treatment plants, prescription and over-the-counter drugs poured down the sink or flushed down the toilet can pass through the treatment system and enter rivers and lakes. They may flow downstream to serve as sources for community drinking water supplies. Water treatment plants are generally not equipped to routinely remove medicines," a flyer from the Environmental Protection Agency said.