Proper disposal of medication is essential to ensuring clean waterways and safe, drug-free communities. As part of the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on September 26th, law enforcement agencies across Hampton Roads will accept all prescription and over-the-counter medications from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm. Find the collection site nearest you by entering your zip code into the National Take Back Initiative Collection Site locator. The program is sponsored by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications.
If you can’t make it out to one of the prescription drug collection sites on September 26th, please remember that medications should never be flushed down the sink or toilet. Wastewater treatment is designed to treat the water that goes down toilets and sinks and make it safe to return to the environment. But a treatment plant cannot remove the active chemicals from medications once they’ve dissolved into the wastewater. When medication is poured down the sink or flushed down the toilet, they enter our waterways and have lasting impacts on the marine environment – especially that yummy seafood we all love to enjoy.
For more information on disposing of medications safely, please visit our medication disposal page for information on how to properly dispose of your expired, unused, or unwanted medication.