WISCONSIN — Almost 90,000 pounds of unwanted drugs were collected on Oct. 24, Wisconsin's Drug Take-Back Day.
Across the state, residents were urged to turn in any drugs that they no longer need or have expired, that way they don't get out into the community. Now, officials have finished counting all the drugs, totaling nearly 90,000 pounds.
“Thank you to the many Wisconsinites who safely disposed of unused and unwanted medications, making Wisconsin’s Drug Take Back the most successful in the nation. Your efforts help with the fight against substance-use disorder by ensuring that those unused medications won’t be diverted,” said Attorney General Josh Kaul.
230 law enforcement offices took part in the statewide take-back day and collected drugs from 485 permanent drug disposal boxes. These boxes are available year-round.
The drug take-back day is an effort to educate the community about the potential abuse and consequences of improper storage and disposal of these medications.
"Unused or expired medicine should never be flushed or poured down the drain. Water reclamation facilities are not designed to remove all of them, and trace amounts of pharmaceuticals are showing up in rivers and lakes," wrote the Wisconsin Department of Justice in a press release.
The collected medications were boxed, palletized, shrink-wrapped, and secured for transportation to Covanta Energy Corporation in Indianapolis, where the drugs will be incinerated.
