Area Police Departments Participate in National Take Back Initiative Collection

Looking for a safe way to dispose of unused prescription medications, other over-the-counter drugs or illicit substances?

Several area police departments that are working with the U.S Department of Justice's Drug Enforcement Administration will be collecting unused medications at dropboxes on April 27. 

In Barnegat, residents may drop off the medication inside the Barnegat Municipal Court at 900 West Bay Avenue between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Other participating area police include: Stafford Township, at 260 E. Bay Avenue, Long Beach Township, at 6805 Long Beach Boulevard, and Surf City Borough Police, at 813 Long Beach Boulevard.

The drug dropoff is a safer alternative than flushing medications down a toilet, according to officials, who say flushing medications into the sewer system can have an adverse effect on the environment. Chemicals in prescription medications can escape wastewater treatment facilities and build up in local waterways, altering fish and wildlife through a process known as bioaccumulation, according to an international study cited in the Washington Post.

But environmental damage isn't the only concern police officials hope to combat with the implementation of a safe disposal program. Prescription drug abuse is second only to marijuana use nationally, with as many as 22 million individuals abusing medications since 2002, according to the 2010-2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

The drug disposal program does not accept needles.