Operation Take Back Saturday in Morris Plains

Time to clean out those cabinets and safely dispose of the medications you no longer need.

The Morris Plains Police Department, in cooperation with Morris County Prosecutor's Office, is participating in "Operation Take Back" on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Stop & Shop Supermarket at 245 Littleton Road in Morris Plains.

Operation Take Back is a national initiative that encourages individuals to clean out their medicine cabinets and bring unused or expired prescriptions, controlled substances and over-the-counter medications for safe disposal. The medication collection will allow citizens to walk-in and hand over their unused medications to Law Enforcement Officials, no questions asked.  After the event, Law Enforcement Officials will take all of the medications collected and dispose of them in a safe and environmentally–friendly way.

In addition to helping communities rid their counties of unused prescription drugs, Operation Take Back promotes awareness of juvenile prescription drug prevention efforts.

Americans that participated in the DEA’s fourth National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on Sept. 29, 2012, turned in more than 488,395 pounds (244 tons) of unwanted or expired medications for safe and proper disposal at the 5,263 take-back sites that were available in all 50 states and U.S. territories.

When the results of the four previous Take-Back Days are combined, the DEA, and its state, local, and tribal law-enforcement and community partners have removed more than 2 million pounds (1,018 tons) of medication from circulation. The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposal, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of these medications.

Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.  Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.