Putnam Nets Over 450 Pounds Of Meds During Drug Take Back

Putnam County took back over 450 pounds of unused or expired medication during National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Saturday.

Power of Putnam Coalition Director Bill Gibson said the turnout across eight take back sites was inspiring. Gibson said the community to continues to rally against prescription drug abuse, stopping pills from ever getting into the wrong hands.

“It’s important, we live and thrive on partnerships and we added Kroger Pharmacy this year as a new location,” Gibson said. “They were sort of one of the primary places we set up. So we like to add new take back locations and that’s what makes it work.”

Gibson said when it was all loaded together, there were several barrels filled with pills to be incinerated. Gibson said utilizing drug take back locations are key because flushing and trashing pills can cause pollution to the environment.

“It’s very encouraging to see people turn in these unused medications,” Gibson said. “We know so many of them do fall into the wrong hands. Then improper disposal, if they’re flushed or just put in the trash, they can pollute the environment or have a second opportunity to fall into the wrong hands at the recycle center.”

Gibson said that local law enforcement offers and pharmacies has permanent drop off locations. He said these provide a safe place for people to properly dispose of medication all year, at any time of day.