Carrollton Participates in Nationwide Drug Disposal Event April 25

The City of Carrollton will participate in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The drop-off location will be the south parking lot of the Carrollton Police Department (2025 E. Jackson Road).

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) coordinates a one-day collaborative effort with local agencies to remove potentially dangerous prescription drugs from homes. The public will be able to surrender expired, unwanted, or unused pharmaceutical substances and other medications to law enforcement officers for destruction. There will be no questions or requests for identification.

Participants may dispose of medication in its original container. Controlled, non-controlled, and over-the-counter substances will be collected. All solid dosage pharmaceutical products and liquids in consumer containers will also be accepted. Liquid products, such as cough syrup, should remain sealed in their original containers.

Items that will not be accepted include any items marked biohazard, sharps, inhaler medications, bulk-quantity medications from pharmacies or veterinarians, and submissions from other medical organizations. Illegal substances will also not be collected.

Results from the Department of Health and Human Services' most recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health showed that 13.8 million Americans over the age of 12 have misused controlled prescription drugs over the last year. According to the DEA, non-medical use of prescription drugs ranks as the second most common form of drug abuse in America, and the majority of teenagers abusing drugs get them from family, friends, or the home medicine cabinet.

The DEA considers prescription drug collection programs the best way to dispose of old or unused drugs, as cleaning out medicine cabinets helps to minimize accidental poisoning, overdose, and abuse. Notably, flushed, unused prescription drugs can contaminate the water supply and cause widespread harmful effects.

Proper disposal of unused drugs saves lives and protects the environment. Since October 2017, more than 12,442 pounds have been collected in Carrollton.

If residents require additional means of drug disposal, several options are available year-round, including the drop box in the Carrollton Police Department jail lobby. Acceptable items include prescription medications, pills, patches, ointments, over-the-counter medications, vitamins, medication samples, and pet medications. No items marked biohazard, needles, or sharps are accepted at the PD jail drop box.

Republic Services, Carrollton's residential solid waste provider, offers a curbside Household Hazardous Waste program which includes the careful collection and handling of medical sharps. Call 469-451-3713 (Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.) or download the Household Hazardous Waste and Electronic Waste Collection Instructions form by visiting Household Hazardous Waste.

Email the completed form to [email protected] to schedule an appointment for collection of these items. Medical sharps must be in a sharps container or a plastic container with a screw-on lid (ex: an empty laundry detergent bottle). Residents will be mailed a collection bag in which to place the container in preparation for the collection appointment.

For more information on the many local resources for medication disposal, including area pharmacies and the FDA's disposal recommendations, visit the City's webpage on Disposal of Prescription Drugs.