Tennesseans Encouraged to Participate in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day
All Tennesseans are encouraged to participate in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 28, 2023.
National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is a biannual opportunity for everyone to dispose of medications that are expired or no longer needed. These medications, including prescription opioid pain relievers and stimulants, can be habit-forming leading to addiction or overdose.
Medications can be safely and securely disposed with no questions asked.
“Whether it’s a recent surgery, dental procedure, or clearing out a home after the death of a loved one, there are so many situations where people have mass quantities of medications just sitting around. Safe and secure disposal through Take Back Day events is just about the easiest way we all can have an impact on substance use and addiction in our communities,” said Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Commissioner Marie Williams, LCSW. “And with deadly doses of illicit fentanyl being pressed into counterfeit pills, there’s never been a more important time to take back your medications so that young people never begin experimenting with medications they find in the home.”
In the last National Prescription Drug Take Back Day in April of this year, agencies collected more than 8,200 pounds of medications at more than 120 locations across Tennessee. Since the start of Take Back Day, Tennesseans have safely and securely disposed of more than 350,000 pounds of medications.
A prescription drug Take Back Box is available year-round at the Hardeman County Criminal Justice Center located at 505 South Main Street in Bolivar. The box is accessible during business hours through the Criminal Justice Center and after hours through the Sheriff’s Department entrance.
Items Accepted for the Pharmaceutical Collection Program
- Prescriptions
- Liquid medications (in leak-proof containers)
- Medicated ointment, lotions, or drops
- Pills in any packaging (glass bottles, plastic containers, plastic bags, etc.)
- Over-the-counter medications
- Pet medications
Items Not Accepted in the Program (see links for appropriate disposal options)
- Blood sugar equipment
- Sharps/needles (Household Hazardous Waste Collection)
- Illegal drugs & narcotics (although police will accept these items if placed in the container)
- Thermometers (Household Hazardous Waste Collection)
- IV bags
- Bloody or infectious waste
- Personal care products (shampoo, lotions, etc) (Household Hazardous Waste Collection)
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