New York State Senators Kemp Hannon and Carl Marcellino are partnering with the Nassau County Police Department to help residents safely dispose of expired or unused medications.
The “Shed the Meds” program will take place Saturday, June 19, from 9 a.m. to noon in front of the Bethpage Fire Department, 225 Broadway. Residents can drop off any medication that has expired or no longer needed and it will be collected and safely disposed of by officers from the police department.
“After taking the time to finally go to that doctor’s appointment and pick up our medication, it’s hard to part with that costly prescription. But holding on to expired medication of any kind is dangerous for us and our loved ones, and improperly disposing of these expired pills is dangerous for our entire community,” said Hannon. “That’s why I’m encouraging everyone to stop by ‘Shed the Meds’ to ensure the safe disposal of medication.”
Throwing out medication improperly, such as flushing them in the toilet or pouring them down the drain, can cause pollution in local waterways and in the drinking water. Safe disposal helps protect the environment and keeps medications out of the hands of young children or others who would use them improperly.
“When old medication is just left around the house, there’s a potential for those drugs to be misused by someone else, you just don’t know. However, flushing them down the drain is not the answer because they could work their way into our water system. Here on Long Island we drink the water beneath our feet so we must do all we can to continue to protect that supply,” said Marcellino.
Residents with questions about the program can call Hannon’s office at 739-1700 or Marcellino’s office at 922-1811.
