The semiannual Drug Take Back Day will be held Oct. 24 when residents are encouraged to turn over their unused and expired prescription drugs to law enforcement for proper disposal.
“We have mobile collection sites in Bonduel, Ho-Chunk and up on the Stockbridge, so people don’t have to drive all they way into the sheriff’s office,” Shawano County Sheriff George Lenzner said.
Mobile sites will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Collection sites will be at the Bonduel Police Department, 207 S. First St., Bonduel; Stockbridge-Munsee Public Safety Building, W13445 Camp 14 Road, Bowler; and Sigma Funmaker Community Center, W17634 Radke Road, Wittenberg.
Nationwide, in April, 4,306 law enforcement units participated at 4,417 collection sites with 321 tons (642,410 pounds) collected.
All local prescriptions and other drugs turned in will be taken to Wausau for disposal the following Monday.
“Shawano County has remained in the top three to five counties for the state for collecting the most prescription meds,” Lenzner said. “We’ve been at the top now for five or six years.”
Permanent collection sites at ThedaCare Medical Center-Shawano and area clinics are not included in the totals.
For 15 years, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration’s Drug Take Back Day has helped Americans safely dispose of unneeded medications — those that are old, unwanted or expired — to prevent drug misuse and abuse.
Collection sites will not accept syringes, sharps and illicit drugs. Liquid products, such as cough syrup, should remain sealed in the original container. The cap must be tightly sealed to prevent leakage.
“It’s good to get that stuff off the streets,” Lenzner said.
Residents who cannot attend the Oct. 24 event can also use permanent medication drop boxes at the Stockbridge-Munsee Health and Wellness Center, Shawano County Sheriff’s Department, ThedaCare-Shawano and the Bonduel Police Department.
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