Where To Drop Off Unused Prescription Drugs In Mendham, Chester

CHESTER, NJ — This coming Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Chester Police Department is one of the sites throughout the country participating in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.

Spearheaded by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Oct. 23 was set to encourage people nationwide to “clean out their medicine cabinets and turn in - safely and anonymously - a record amount of prescription drugs,” as a way “to prevent drug addiction and overdose deaths.”

At the Chester Police Department on 1 Parker Road, people may drop off “expired, unwanted or unused prescription medication for disposal.” However, the police department indicated, liquids and syringes aren’t accepted in the bin on Take Back Day or any day.

During the most recent collection in April, the DEA reports that 4,425 police departments participated throughout the country, with 5,060 collection sites and 839,543 pounds or 420 tons of prescriptions turned in.

According to a 2019 survey that the DEA cited:

• 9.7 million people “misused prescription pain relievers”
• 4.9 million people “misused prescription stimulants”
• 5.9 million people “misused prescription tranquilizers or sedatives”

The DEA stated that most of the misused meds were often plucked from a family member or friend’s medicine cabinet, per the survey results.

For more about the collection sites watch the video below:

To find prescription collection sites, visit www.deatakeback.com.

Questions or comments about this story? Have a news tip? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com.