Safely dispose of prescription medications at Delaware’s 22 locations April 22.
First Staters looking to dispose of their prescription drugs in a safe, responsible and convenient way can do so on Saturday, April 22 at 22 different locations throughout the state.
Along with proper disposal, the National Drug Enforcement Administration Prescription Drug Take Back Day is meant to educate the public about the potential for abuse of medications.
The country is battling an epidemic of people addicted to opioids, Delaware is third in the nation for most overdose deaths, according to the CDC. It trails West Virginia and Kentucky. Many of those addictions are related to prescription drugs.
Another goal of the day is to reduce the risk of unused prescription medications in someone’s home being diverted for misuse.
Many times, a family member or friend will find prescription medicine in a home cabinet and steal it for personal use.
“With the proper disposal of unused or expired prescription drugs, you’re ensuring that these medications don’t find their way into the wrong hands,” said Col. Wayne McFadden of the Delaware River & Bay Authority’s Police Department in a statement.
He pointed out that no questions or requests for identification will be made by law enforcement personnel present, and he urged Delawareans to add this to their list of spring cleaning.
The Division of Public Health handles Delaware’s participating in the national take-back days, which take place twice a year. This will be Delaware’s 24th time participating.
Since 2010, about 100,000 pounds of medication has been collected nationally.
For those participating, medications must be in a container such as a pill bottle, box, blister pack or zipped plastic bag, without any labeled personal information.
Liquid medications are required to be in their original containers.
Vape pens and electronic cigarettes, which have boomed in popularity among teenagers, can also be disposed of if the batteries are removed from the device.
The dropoff period is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Here’s where:
New Castle County
Delaware City Police Department – 407 Clinton Street, Delaware City
Middletown Police Department – 130 Hampden Road, Middletown
New Castle Airport – 151 N Dupont Highway, New Castle
Newark Police Department – 220 S Main Street, Newark
Christiana Care Surgical Center – 4755 Ogletown Stanton Rd, Newark
Wilmington Police Department – 801 Shipyard Drive, Wilmington
Wilmington Veterans Affairs Medical Center – 1601 Kirkwood Highway, Wilmington
New Castle Police Department – 3601 North Dupont Highway, New Castle
Kent County
Camden Police Department – 1783 Friends Way, Camden
Dover Air Force Base – 268 Galaxy Street, Dover
Dover Police Department – 400 South Queen Street, Dover
Felton Police Department – 24 East Sewell Street, Felton
Smyrna Police Department – 103 South Dupont Blvd, Smyrna
Sussex County
Laurel Police Department – 205 Mechanic Street, Laurel
Lewes Police Department – 129 Schley Avenue, Lewes
Delaware River & Bay Authority Police Department – 43 Cape Henlopen Drive, Lewes
Milford Police Department – 400 Northeast Front Street, Milford
Milton Police Department – 101 Federal Street, Milton
Ocean View Police Department – 201 Central Avenue, Ocean View
Rehoboth Beach Police Department – 229 Rehoboth Avenue, Rehoboth Beach
Seaford Police Department – 300 Virginia Avenue, Seaford
Selbyville Police Department – 1 Church Street, Selbyville
Raised in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Jarek earned a B.A. in journalism and a B.A. in political science from Temple University in 2021. After running CNN’s Michael Smerconish’s YouTube channel, Jarek became a reporter for the Bucks County Herald before joining Delaware LIVE News.
