Are your medicine cabinets overflowing with expired prescriptions or over-the-counter medications?
Saturday, Sept. 27, is National Prescription Drug Take-back Day, and in conjunction with that, the Harvard Police Department is holding its own drug take back event from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Public Safety Building at 40 Ayer Road. The event will feature the debut of Harvard’s new medication return box in the outer lobby of the building.
The Harvard Police have been accepting medications for disposal for the past few years. But, ever since staff hours at the Public Safety Building were cut back when dispatch was moved to the Nashoba Valley Regional Communications Center last fall, people have been leaving things for the Harvard Police in the outer lobby, which is open 24 hours a day. While no drugs were ever dropped off in that manner, Chief Ed Denmark’s administrative assistant, Pat Natoli, said that the box was purchased to avoid that situation. There is only one key to the box, and it is in Chief Denmark’s possession.
A biennial event
National Drug Take-back Day is held twice a year, in April and September. On those days police departments around the country bring taped boxes of the drugs they’ve collected since the last Take-back Day to a drop-off area specified by the Drug Enforcement Agency. All of the drugs are eventually incinerated. Natoli said that a lot of paperwork is involved, and there is usually a long line at the DEA drop-off area that Harvard uses, which is in Westford. Last April, according to the DEA, the nation as a whole turned in 390 tons of prescription drugs. Harvard turned in 22 pounds, and as Natoli explained, that was without any local publicity. She said that she already has about two full boxes of drugs that have been dropped off at the Public Safety Building since April’s event.
Not all medications accepted
Unfortunately, not all medications are accepted at Harvard’s medication return box. Epi pens, for example, are considered hazardous waste. Natoli said she is working with Department of Public Works Director Rich Nota to try to get something set up for medical hazardous waste for next April’s Take-back Day, which will be held at the Transfer Station. In addition, because the boxes of collected drugs are incinerated, aerosol cans, inhalers, liquids, and lotions are not accepted. See the sidebar for the full list of what’s accepted and what’s not.
The medication return box is available to accept deposits every day, 24 hours a day, in the outer lobby of the Harvard Public Safety Building.
