Hempstead Town, Reworld™ to Host Pharmaceutical Take Back Day

Hempstead, NY – Celebrating National Prescription Drug Take Back Day and helping rid our community of dangerous opioids, Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin and Reworld™ have announced two pharmaceutical take back events on October 26th. The drug take back events will take place concurrently between 8am and 1pm at the Hempstead Village Department of Public Works Yard (450 Milburn Ave., Hempstead, NY) and the Town of Hempstead L2 Parking Field (90 Division Ave., Levittown, NY). Pharmaceutical take back events provide residents with an opportunity to safely dispose of expired and unused prescription drugs, which helps avoid potential misuse and negative impacts on the local water supply through improper disposal.

“These pharmaceutical take back events are a convenient and free way to make sure that old prescription drugs do not wind up in the wrong hands or harm our environment,” said Supervisor Clavin. “With the help of our partners at Reworld™ and the Nassau County Police Department, we will offer two locations for our residents to quickly and safely dispose of their unused medicines. I encourage all of our residents to take advantage of this and thank our partners for their commitment to protecting the Town of Hempstead.”

Improperly disposing of pharmaceutical drugs and other controlled substances creates opportunities for foreign contaminants to seep into the water supply, raising the possibility of groundwater contamination. Several decades ago, it was common practice to flush unused or expired medications down the drain. For homes with septic systems, this resulted in a concentration of flushed medication in the soil around the home, while homes connected to sewers required additional treatment to remove toxins.

“Reworld™ is proud to be an active sustainability partner in the communities we serve, and we are committed to empowering residents by promoting and implementing responsible waste solutions," said Dawn Harmon, Director, Long Island Market, Reworld™. "Pharmaceuticals that are improperly disposed of can have devastating impacts on our water supply and the ecosystems we rely on, which is why programs like this are so essential. By offering residents a safe, convenient way to dispose of their medications, we’re taking a major step toward protecting our environment and preventing potentially toxic substances from leaching into the ground or contaminating water systems. Our partnership with the Town of Hempstead on this initiative reflects our shared commitment to the community. We thank the Town for taking on this cause, and we look forward to continuing our work to help make the Town of Hempstead a greener, safer place for all.”

In addition to allowing drugs to be dropped off, Reworld™ will provide special envelopes with instructions for future pharmaceutical disposal to attendees. At the conclusion of the events, Nassau County police officers will transport the collected pharmaceuticals to a local Reworld™ facility.

In an effort to encourage as many residents to take part as possible, the events will each be set up as drive-through operations, where residents can safely hand their pharmaceuticals to an employee without leaving their vehicle. No proof of residency is required for this important drug take back event.