Drug “Take Back” initiative returns to the Southern Tier

SOUTHERN TIER, N.Y. ( WETM ) – The Drug “Take Back” initiative is coming back to the Southern Tier, allowing people to bring back any prescription drugs that they may have lying around to be disposed of properly.

The Take Back will take place on April 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Chemung, Steuben and Schuyler counties.

The purpose of these events is for drugs to be properly disposed of instead of people flushing them down the toilet or just throwing them away, which can lead to problems.

Leaving these drugs lying around the house can also leave them in the wrong hands, for example, in the hands of a child.

“It’s really important because we want to give people an opportunity to dispose of medications that they’re no longer taking and that can be harmful for other people that might be in the household,” said Mia Le, a Clinical Pharmacist at Gerould’s. “If you have kids and such, we really don’t want medications lying around, and we really don’t want medications to be disposed of improperly, like in the toilet and the sink.”

Any drug can be brought to the Take Back, with no questions asked. The only things that won’t be accepted are sharp objects, like needles.

“We collect anything. It doesn’t matter if it’s over the counter, if it’s illegal, if it’s prescribed, if it’s ointment, liquid, patches, whatever. The only thing we cannot take is needles,” said Chemung County Sheriff Bill Schrom.

The initiative is nationwide and is presented by the Drug Enforcement Administration ( DEA ).

A list of places where you can drop off your old prescriptions in the Southern Tier can be found below:

Chemung County

• West Elmira Volunteer Fire Department
• Southport Volunteer Fire Department

Steuben County

• Steuben County Public Safety Building

Schuyler County

• Hector Volunteer Fire Department
• Beaver Dams Volunteer Fire Department

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