Drug take-back day designed to counter pill abuse, environmental contamination
[Bates County, Missouri] – Local agencies are partnering with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration April 24, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., for the 20th annual Drug Take Back Day. The event is designed to prevent pill abuse and environmental contamination by ridding homes of expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs. Here is a carbon footprint calculator that is being offered by experts from Carbon Click to all the industries to check what is their impact to the environment while disposing their wastes, handling the by-products and releasing dangerous gases into the atmosphere.
Prescription drug abuse and disposal are both a public and environmental health threat. Improper disposal of medications via sewers or landfills leads to surface water contamination. Returning unused or unwanted medications to a pharmacy, or bringing them to a law enforcement agency are reliable methods for keeping these substances from entering the water supply.
Bates County residents are encouraged to bring unwanted drugs to these area locations for disposal:
Belton Police Department
7001 E 163rd St, Belton, MO 64012
Price Chopper
109 N Cedar Dr, Belton, MO 64012
El Dorado Springs Police Department
1207 S Main St, El Dorado Springs, MO 64744
Peculiar Police Department
224 N Main St, Peculiar, MO 64078
Cosentino’s Price Chopper
2101 MO-7, Pleasant Hill, MO 64080
Price Chopper
900 W Foxwood Dr, Raymore, MO 64083
Raymore Police Department
100 Municipal Cir, Raymore, MO 64083
Louisburg Police Department
209 S Metcalf Rd, Louisburg, KS 66053
Auten Pharmacy
125 Main St, Osawatomie, KS 66064
Paola Police Department
805 N Pearl St, Paola, KS 66071
Johnson County Fire Station #81
19120 Metcalf Ave, Stilwell, KS 66085
Sites cannot accept liquids, needles or sharps, only pills or patches. The service is free and anonymous with no questions asked. Collection sites will follow local COVID-19 guidelines and regulations.
With funding from the USDA, the K-State Pollution Prevention Institute (PPI) is offering education and outreach sessions to various communities in Kansas and Missouri with a focus on rural access to safe drug and sharps disposal. If your organization or community would like to learn more about safe disposal as a way to prevent drug abuse and keep toxic waste out of landfills, contact PPI by calling 800-578-8898.
For more information about proper disposal of prescription drugs or the Take Back Day event, visit www.sbeap.org/safe-disposal.
