Drug Take Back Day will be held Saturday
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, a day aimed at preventing unwanted and unused medications from getting in the wrong hands by encouraging residents to use safe and secure medication disposal options, will be recognized on Saturday, April 22.
Marathon County residents are encouraged to safely dispose of unwanted, unused, and expired medications by visiting a secure drop box location near them.
Multiple drop box locations in Marathon County are available to safely and responsibly dispose of unwanted, unneeded, and expired medications, needles, sharps, and syringes. Medications and sharps should be properly disposed of in a designated drop box, and not thrown away or flushed down the toilet; proper disposal will help protect the environment. Water reclamation facilities are not designed to remove all pharmaceuticals.
On Saturday, these are the participating Prescription Drug Take Back locations:
• Kronenwetter Police Department (1582 Kronenwetter Dr, Mosinee) as a 24/7 location.
• Rothschild Police Department (211 Grand Ave, Rothschild) as a 24/7 location.
• Wausau Police Department (515 Grand Ave, Wausau) from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Medication and sharps drop boxes will be available.
Permanent medication drop boxes are also available to residents at any time of the year to ensure continuous accessibility to safe and secure disposal. Permanent medication drop boxes are available at all local police departments in Marathon County (Athens, Colby-Abbotsford, Edgar, Everest Metro, Marathon City, Mosinee, Spencer, Stratford and Wausau), including two locations that are available 24/7 (Kronenwetter and Rothschild), and at Aspirus Wausau Hospital, Marshfield Clinic Health System and some local pharmacies.
Correctly disposing of medications contributes to the fight against prescription drug misuse by ensuring that unused, unwanted, or expired medications do not get placed in the wrong hands. According to the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, prescription pain relievers were misused by 9.2 million people aged 12 and over. Additionally, 16 million people aged 12 and over misused a prescription stimulant.
The guidelines for drop-offs of over-the-counter or prescription drugs, prescription creams, lotions and inhalers are as follows: 1. Bring expired, unwanted or unneeded medications to a local drop box in the original containers.
2. Take pills out of the original containers and place in a zip style sealable bag (blister packs do not need to be emptied). Keep liquids, creams, ointments and inhalers in original containers and place in zip style sealable bag.
3. Remove any identifiable information from empty pill containers and recycle.
4. Place zip style sealed bags into the medication drop box.
Do not bring: Radioactive chemo drugs or IV bags, personal care products, vitamins, needles or syringes and any garbage or trash.
For participants who have sharps or needles and syringes to dispose, there are four police departments with free, permanent sharps disposal boxes (Edgar, Marathon City, Spencer and Wausau). Sharps must be in an approved sharps container or hard plastic container with a secure top, such as a laundry detergent bottle. For more information and community sharps disposal locations visit www.marathoncountysolidwaste. org/sharps.
For more information on drop box locations and guidelines, visit www. marathoncountysolidwaste.org/ pharmaceuticals.
