Saturday, October 23 is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, an event designed to draw attention to the importance of properly disposing of unused prescription medications so they do not contribute to the drug crisis threatening our communities. Across the Nation communities will coordinate events where the public can bring unwanted prescription medications and know that they will be properly and safely disposed.
Alpharetta does not host a National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day event, however, because we make it easy for residents to properly dispose of unwanted prescription medications 24-hours-a-day, every day of the year. All a resident has to do is go to any Alpharetta Fire Station where they will find a convenient and secure drop-box waiting inside the fire engine bay area for their unwanted medications to be placed inside. All prescribed medications to be disposed of should be contained inside their original bottle or placed inside a small, sealed container (i.e. plastic bottle) or zip-lock bag, and all personal information should be removed or marked out with a permanent marker.
Although you may not think about it often, properly disposing of your unused or unwanted prescription medications is very important. Disposing of prescription drugs goes a long way toward eliminating the possibility of family members or others from removing your drugs from a medicine cabinet with the intent to misuse or abuse them. Among adolescents 12 and older who report using pain medication, an estimated 70% obtained them from a relative or friend’s medicine cabinet. Additionally, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, prescription medications are the most common poison exposure category in the United States.
We are able to accept over-the-counter medications, prescription medications, prescription patches, vitamins, and pet medicines. Several items, however, cannot be placed in the drop-boxes or accepted: needles, hydrogen peroxide, compressed cylinders or aerosols (e.g. asthma inhalers), liquids or lotions, thermometers or glass, alcohol, and illicit drugs.
For information and tips on how to safely dispose of items that cannot be accepted in our drop-boxes, please visit https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/index.html