The National Drug Take-Back event is this Friday 10 am to 2 pm and Saturday from 10 am to 1 pm. You can bring any expired or unused medications to several locations across Boone County.
Eric Stann is the Community Relations Specialist for Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services.
“We support this effort to prevent prescription pills from being lost stolen or misused. And this effort also helps keep these medications from being improperly disposed of in ways that can hurt the environment.” Stann said.
Drop off locations can be found on the Boone County Sheriff’s Department’s website. Needles and other sharps will not be collected at the event.
Amy Poos is the Department of Environmental Quality Division of Information Officer for the Department of Natural Resources. Improper disposal, such as flushing drugs down the toilet, can lead to environmental issues, she said.
“These municipal waste water treatment facilities, they’re not designed to remove all the ingredients that are in medicines during that treatment process.” Poos said.
This can have unintended consequences.
“So scientists have been studying this and they are concerned about the potential effects pharmaceuticals are having on the environment and on wildlife.” Poos said.
Pharmaceuticals can also be disposed of at the City of Columbia Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility on the first and third Saturdays of every month until November
For more information on how to properly dispose of medicines, read this guide provided by the Department of Natural Resources.