Safely Dispose of Unwanted Medications September 29th

Disposing of expired and unused medications is serious business. On September 29th the Victoria County Sheriff's office will make it easy for you.

The Victoria County Sheriff's Office is hosting the second National Medication Take Back Initiative this year from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 29. The public can safely dispose of expired, unused or unwanted prescriptions and over-the-counter medications at this one-day event. The sheriff's office will collect medications, no questions asked, at 101 N. Glass St. in downtown Victoria, according to a news release from the sheriff's office.

According to the Victoria Advocate, collection will be performed with a drive through line so you will not have to get out of your vehicle. Medications do not have to be labeled and they do not have to be in your name. Illegal drugs will not be accepted. There is no cost to use this service.

The first Medication Take Back was on April 28 and over the four-hour collection period, 155 cars from Victoria and as far away as Austin disposed of 443 pounds of medications or 2.86 pounds per car, according to the news release. Victoria had one of the highest rates of medications collected for the Houston region thanks to the efforts of community stakeholders, according to the news release.

Collected medications will be shipped to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration in Houston. The DEA follows federal disposal regulations. According to the DEA, this is the only program where controlled medications can be turned in, no questions asked, to be destroyed. Last year, about 189 tons of medications were collected through this initiative.

This initiative is an important way to prevent and reduce injury related to accidental ingestion of these substances caused by keeping the substances in your home. Proper disposal of these substances also protects the environment.

If you cannot bring your medications to the drop off, there are other ways to dispose of medications.

First, check your medications for disposal instructions and follow the procedures listed, if available. Second, call your pharmacy to see if they offer a take back program for the substances you have. Third, the city of Victoria landfill is permitted to accept medications, so if you live in or around Victoria, it is legal to dispose of medications in your residential garbage. If you plan to dispose of medications with your household garbage, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration recommends: • Leaving them in their original container or a hard sided container. Leaving them in their original container or a hard sided container.

• Mix them with undesirable substances such as kitty litter, coffee grounds or saw dust. Mix them with undesirable substances such as kitty litter, coffee grounds or saw dust.

• Remove or mark over all labels that identify the medications to prevent theft and substance abuse.

 For more information, contact Sheriff's Office Capt. Abel Arriazola at 361-574-8015.