Drug Take Back Program
The purpose of this programs is to allow for safe, legal, and environmentally-friendly disposal of extra drugs that patients have not used.
This program serves two purposes. First, this program reduces the risk of prescription drugs being consumed inappropriately—either by accident or through illegal sales. Prescription medication abuse is becoming far more prevalent than common street drugs. Widespread anecdotal and survey evidence indicates that a huge portion of illegal prescription drug use occurs when people raid friends’ and relatives’ medicine cabinets. Second, it reduces the risk of prescription drugs entering the water, potentially harming aquatic life or getting into a human water supply. If the household waste is incinerated, the drugs are far less likely to pose an environmental problem than if they go into the waste water stream.
This program is being provided as a continuing proactive effort by The Mattapoisett Police Department to prevent drug abuse before it happens in our community. We encourage everyone to collect expired or useless prescription medications and bring them to the Mattapoisett Police Station.
As part of this program, a MedReturn Drug Collection Unit was installed in the lobby of the Mattapoisett Police Station. Residents of Mattapoisett or any community can bring unwanted prescription drugs 24 hours a day, seven days a week to the station and deposit them into the MedReturn box. There are guidelines: only residents can drop off waste medications, businesses and clinics are prohibited.
Accepted items include:
- Prescriptions
- Prescription patches
- Prescription medications
- Over the counter medications
- Vitamins
- Prescription ointments
- Prescription samples
- Pet medications.
The following items are prohibited:
- Sharps
- Thermometers
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Inhalers
- Aerosol cans
- Nonprescription ointments
- Lotions or liquids
- Other non-pharmaceutical waste.