Category: Drugs

Got Drugs? Dispose of Your Unused Medications Safely on National Take Back Day on April 27th

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If your medicine cabinet is filled with expired drugs or medications that you no longer use, and you are concerned about detrimental environmental effects from improper disposal or eliminating the potential for abuse of medications, here is the information that you need to properly dispose of them.

The Ewing Police Department will be participating in the DEA’s twice yearly National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day which will take place on Saturday, April 27, 2019, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. This is a great opportunity for those who missed the previous events, or who have subsequently accumulated unwanted, unused prescription drugs, to safely dispose of those medications. Just go to Ewing Municipal Building, 2 Jake Garzio Drive and go to the Ewing Police Department on the lower level. Ewing Police will have an officer between 10 and 2 to take the items.

All medications are accepted, prescription and over-the-counter, as well as liquids. Liquids are accepted in their original prescription bottle only and with the cap tightly secured. Syringes and other sharp instruments should not be turned in at this event. Hypodermic needles are not accepted. The disposal is handled completely securely; all accepted medications with any labels that you leave on the containers are placed in a large cardboard box, lined with plastic. At the end of the day the contents are taken to the prosecutor’s office. The DEA will pick up and incinerate.

Guidelines for Drug Disposal

Follow any specific disposal instructions on the drug label or patient information that accompanies the medication. Do not flush prescription drugs down the toilet unless this information specifically instructs you to do so.

If no instructions are given on the drug label and no take-back program is available in your area, take them out of their original containers and mix them with an undesirable substance, such as used coffee grounds or kitty litter — to make the medication less appealing and unrecognizable — then put them in a sealable bag, empty can, or other container to prevent the medication from leaking or breaking out of a garbage bag.

You should also remove any identifying information on the label to protect your identity and privacy.

Despite the safety reasons for flushing drugs, some people are questioning the practice because of concerns about trace levels of drug residues found in surface water, such as rivers and lakes, and in some community drinking water supplies. However, the main way drug residues enter water systems is by people taking medications and then naturally passing them through their bodies. That said, the FDA does not want to add drug residues into water systems unnecessarily. The agency reviewed its drug labels to identify products with disposal directions recommending flushing or disposal down the sink. This continuously revised listing can be found at FDA’s Web page on Disposal of Unused Medicines.

National Take Back Day Information

Date: April 27, 2019
Time: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Location: Ewing Municipal Building, 2 Jake Garzio Drive

If you are unable to participate in the National Take Back Day event there is a Project Medicine Drop Box outside of Police headquarters where you may drop off medications 24/7. For more information see the Project Medicine Drop Box page on the Township’s website.

Recycling Double Header Planned for Saturday, Oct 27th.

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Ewing Township Plans Final Shred and Drug Recycling Events for 2018

Shred Day

Dispose of your sensitive documents safely and securely at Ewing’s final Shred Day of the year, Saturday, October 27th from 9 – 1 at the Municipal building.  Materials from businesses are not accepted and Ewing residents will be required to provide Proof of Residency. Because this is an extremely popular program please be prepared to spend a few minutes waiting in line. The event will take place rain or shine.  Document shredding will be done on site. The Ewing Green Team will be on hand to assist.

Date: Saturday, October 27th
Time: 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Location: Municipal Building, 2 Jake Garzio Drive

For more information call the Department of Public Works at 609-882-3382.

The 2019 Shred Day schedule will be announced early next year.

Dispose of Your Unused Medications Safely on National Take Back Day

If your medicine cabinet is filled with expired drugs or medications that you no longer use, and you are concerned about detrimental environmental effects from improper disposal or eliminating the potential for abuse of medications, here is the information that you need to properly dispose of them.

The Ewing Police Department will be participating in the DEA’s final 2018 National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day which will take place on Saturday, October 27, 2018, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. This is a great opportunity for those who missed the previous events, or who have subsequently accumulated unwanted, unused prescription drugs, to safely dispose of those medications.  Just go to Ewing Municipal Building, 2 Jake Garzio Drive and go to the Ewing Police Department on the lower level.  Ewing Police will have an officer between 10am and 2pm to take the items.

All medications are accepted, prescription and over-the-counter, as well as liquids.  Liquids are accepted in their original prescription bottle only and with the cap tightly secured. Syringes and other sharp instruments should not be turned in at this event.  Hypodermic needles are not accepted.  The disposal is handled completely securely; all accepted medications with any labels that you leave on the containers are placed in a large cardboard box, lined with plastic.  At the end of the day the contents are taken to the prosecutor’s office.  The DEA will pick up and incinerate.

Guidelines for Drug Disposal

Follow any specific disposal instructions on the drug label or patient information that accompanies the medication. Do not flush prescription drugs down the toilet unless this information specifically instructs you to do so.

If no instructions are given on the drug label and no take-back program is available in your area, take them out of their original containers and mix them with an undesirable substance, such as used coffee grounds or kitty litter — to make the medication less appealing and unrecognizable — then put them in a sealable bag, empty can, or other container to prevent the medication from leaking or breaking out of a garbage bag.

You should also remove any identifying information on the label to protect your identity and privacy.

Despite the safety reasons for flushing drugs, some people are questioning the practice because of concerns about trace levels of drug residues found in surface water, such as rivers and lakes, and in some community drinking water supplies. However, the main way drug residues enter water systems is by people taking medications and then naturally passing them through their bodies.  That said, the FDA does not want to add drug residues into water systems unnecessarily. The agency reviewed its drug labels to identify products with disposal directions recommending flushing or disposal down the sink. This continuously revised listing can be found at FDA’s Web page about Disposal of Unused Medicines.

Event Summary

Date: Saturday, October 27, 2018
Time: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Location: Ewing Municipal Building, 2 Jake Garzio Drive

If you are unable to participate in the National Take Back Day event there is a Project Medicine Drop Box outside of Police headquarters where you may drop off medications 24/7.  For more information see Ewing Township’s Project Medicine Drop Box page.

 

Dispose of Your Unused Medications Safely on National Take Back Day on Saturday, April 28th

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If your medicine cabinet is filled with expired drugs or medications that you no longer use, and you are concerned about detrimental environmental effects from improper disposal or eliminating the potential for abuse of medications, here is the information that you need to properly dispose of them.

The Ewing Police Department will be participating in the DEA’s twice yearly National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day which will take place on Saturday, April 28, 2018, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. This is a great opportunity for those who missed the previous events, or who have subsequently accumulated unwanted, unused prescription drugs, to safely dispose of those medications.  Just go to Ewing Municipal Building, 2 Jake Garzio Drive and go to the Ewing Police Department on the lower level.  Ewing Police will have an officer between 10 and 2 to take the items.

All medications are accepted, prescription and over-the-counter, as well as liquids.  Liquids are accepted in their original prescription bottle only and with the cap tightly secured. Syringes and other sharp instruments should not be turned in at this event.  Hypodermic needles are not accepted.  The disposal is handled completely securely; all accepted medications with any labels that you leave on the containers are placed in a large cardboard box, lined with plastic.  At the end of the day the contents are taken to the prosecutor’s office.  The DEA will pick up and incinerate.

Guidelines for Drug Disposal

Follow any specific disposal instructions on the drug label or patient information that accompanies the medication. Do not flush prescription drugs down the toilet unless this information specifically instructs you to do so.

If no instructions are given on the drug label and no take-back program is available in your area, take them out of their original containers and mix them with an undesirable substance, such as used coffee grounds or kitty litter — to make the medication less appealing and unrecognizable — then put them in a sealable bag, empty can, or other container to prevent the medication from leaking or breaking out of a garbage bag.

You should also remove any identifying information on the label to protect your identity and privacy.

Despite the safety reasons for flushing drugs, some people are questioning the practice because of concerns about trace levels of drug residues found in surface water, such as rivers and lakes, and in some community drinking water supplies. However, the main way drug residues enter water systems is by people taking medications and then naturally passing them through their bodies.  That said, the FDA does not want to add drug residues into water systems unnecessarily. The agency reviewed its drug labels to identify products with disposal directions recommending flushing or disposal down the sink. This continuously revised listing can be found at FDA’s Web page on Disposal of Unused Medicines.

National Take Back Day Information

Date: April 28, 2018
Time: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Location: Ewing Municipal Building, 2 Jake Garzio Drive

If you are unable to participate in the National Take Back Day event there is a Project Medicine Drop Box outside of Police headquarters where you may drop off medications 24/7.  For more information see the Project Medicine Drop Box page on the Township’s website.

Dispose of Your Unused Medications Safely on National Take Back Day This Saturday, October 28th

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If your medicine cabinet is filled with expired drugs or medications that you no longer use, and you are concerned about detrimental environmental effects from improper disposal or eliminating the potential for abuse of medications, here is the information that you need to properly dispose of them.

The Ewing Police Department will be participating in the DEA’s twice yearly National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day which will take place on Saturday, October 28, 2017, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. This is a great opportunity for those who missed the previous events, or who have subsequently accumulated unwanted, unused prescription drugs, to safely dispose of those medications.  Just go to Ewing Municipal Building, 2 Jake Garzio Drive and use the upper level entrance to go downstairs to the Police Department during the Zabitosky Memorial Dedication.  Ewing Police will have an officer between 10 and 2 to take the items.

All medications are accepted, prescription and over-the-counter, as well as liquids.  Liquids are accepted in their original prescription bottle only and with the cap tightly secured. Syringes and other sharp instruments should not be turned in at this event.  Hypodermic needles are not accepted.  The disposal is handled completely securely; all accepted medications with any labels that you leave on the containers are placed in a large cardboard box, lined with plastic.  At the end of the day the contents are taken to the prosecutor’s office.  The DEA will pick up and incinerate.

Guidelines for Drug Disposal

Follow any specific disposal instructions on the drug label or patient information that accompanies the medication. Do not flush prescription drugs down the toilet unless this information specifically instructs you to do so.

If no instructions are given on the drug label and no take-back program is available in your area, take them out of their original containers and mix them with an undesirable substance, such as used coffee grounds or kitty litter — to make the medication less appealing and unrecognizable — then put them in a sealable bag, empty can, or other container to prevent the medication from leaking or breaking out of a garbage bag.

You should also remove any identifying information on the label to protect your identity and privacy.

Despite the safety reasons for flushing drugs, some people are questioning the practice because of concerns about trace levels of drug residues found in surface water, such as rivers and lakes, and in some community drinking water supplies. However, the main way drug residues enter water systems is by people taking medications and then naturally passing them through their bodies.  That said, the FDA does not want to add drug residues into water systems unnecessarily. The agency reviewed its drug labels to identify products with disposal directions recommending flushing or disposal down the sink. This continuously revised listing can be found at FDA’s Web page on Disposal of Unused Medicines.

National Take Back Day Information

Date: October 28, 2017
Time: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Location: Ewing Municipal Building, 2 Jake Garzio Drive Don’t forget to use the upper level entrance during the Zabitosky Memorial Dedication.

If you are unable to participate in the National Take Back Day event there is a Project Medicine Drop Box outside of Police headquarters where you may drop off medications 24/7.  For more information see the Project Medicine Drop Box page on the Township’s website.

Dispose of Unused Drugs Safely with Project Medicine Drop at Ewing Police Headquarters

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The Ewing Green Team is delighted to report that we just learned that Ewing Township has joined the New Jersey Attorney General’s “Project Medicine Drop” initiative, and has installed a Project Medicine Drop box at police headquarters.  So if your medicine cabinet is filled with unused medications that you no longer use, this is an easy and convenient way to dispose of them properly. The practice of flushing unused medications down the toilet is no longer recommended because of concerns about trace levels of drug residues found in surface water, such as rivers and lakes, and in some community drinking water supplies.  Dropping off unneeded drugs in a Project Medicine Drop box is also an important tool in fighting drug abuse and keeping medications from falling into the hands of anyone who might abuse them.

 “In an ongoing effort to continually expand the services offered to the community, we are happy to announce Ewing’s participation in Project Medicine Drop. The drop box provides a safe and convenient location for everyone in our community to drop off unused and expired medications. I encourage all Ewing residents to be aware of this resource and use it as a way to help prevent any potential for abuse,” said Mayor Bert Steinmann.

“Project Medicine Drop is a great addition to our commitment to public safety and the fight against opiate and prescription pill abuse.  The drop box will give residents a quick, easy and effective mechanism to safely dispose of unneeded medication without the fear of those medications ending up in the wrong hands,” Ewing Police Chief John Stemler said.

Project Medicine Drop is an important component of the New Jersey Attorney General’s effort to stop the diversion and abuse of prescription drugs, including highly addictive opiate painkillers.  This initiative also protects New Jersey’s environment by keeping these drugs of the landfills and out of the water supply.

Members of the public are invited to visit the Project Medicine Drop sites and drop off any unused prescription medications anonymously and with no questions asked.  Most Project Medicine Drop sites make this service available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

 More information about Project Medicine Drop, including the full list of Project Medicine Drop locations, can be found at www.NJConsumerAffairs.gov/meddrop.