Drive Up, Drop In Medications In Bucks Co. Disposal Program

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is Oct. 23, and Bucks County has big plans.

Between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., 48 sites around the county will be collecting unused, unneeded, or expired medications from residents in drive-up drop bins.

Residents can bring prescription medications, vaping products, over-the-counter drugs, and pet medications for the county to dispose of safely. Four locations in Bensalem, Hilltown, Quakertown, and Warwick will even be equipped to collect sharps and distribute Narcan.

A full list of locations is available here.

According to a news release on the event, more than 50 percent of people who misuse prescription pain relievers get them from relatives or friends, and prescription and over-the-counter medications are the third "most commonly misused" drugs after cannabis and alcohol.

County officials also discouraged flushing drugs, saying that filters don't always remove all the chemicals.

“Drug Take-Back Day highlights the importance of getting rid of unused prescription drugs and preventing the disease of addiction and overdose deaths,” Pennsylvania's Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said in a news release. “Prescription drug misuse plays a large role in the opioid crisis, but each of us can play an active role in changing that.”

Since the inception of Pennsylvania’s drug take-back program in 2014, more than 840,000 pounds of prescription medication have been destroyed, with almost 900 take-back boxes established in all 67 counties throughout the commonwealth, according to state officials. In 2020, the program collected and destroyed 180,969 pounds of prescription medication.

Learn more about Bucks County's Medication Collection Program online.