ESSEX COUNTY – Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr., the Essex County Board of County Commissioners, the Essex County Division of Community Health and the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Team (ADAPT) are encouraging residents to dispose of their old or unwanted prescription medications during the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration’s Annual Drug Take Back Day, which is Saturday, April 24th.
Collection sites are set up at municipal police departments throughout Essex County. Bringing medication to the collection locations is free and anonymous.
“Some of the most dangerous substances in your home are the unused prescription and over the counter medication in your bathroom closet. Youth may sneak pills and use them out of curiosity, but there is a real danger that this could lead to more severe drug abuse,” DiVincenzo said. “Ridding your homes of unused prescription medication and dangerous drugs is a simple and important safety measure we can all take. Using the collections sites ensures your unwanted pills are not used improperly and will be destroyed in an environmentally friendly manner. We encourage the public to join us on Drug Take Back Day,” he added.
“Prescription drug abuse and misuse is an epidemic, and we are pleased that Essex County is a leader in opioid abuse prevention. Drug Take Back Day and the year-round collection boxes have proven to be effective, with over 4,000 pounds of pills collected last year,” said Joel Torres, ADAPT Coalition Manager.
“At Family Connections, we try to instill hope and opportunity to all who come for service. We also try to bring hope to the community, and ADAPT does that in a very special way through partnerships with Essex County and our law enforcement community,” Family Connections Executive Director Jacques Hryshko said.
ADAPT, the Essex County Division of Community Health, and the DEA formed partnerships with municipal police departments to serve as collection sites. Although officials urged the public to participate in Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 24th, the permanent collection sites are open year-round so unwanted medications can be safely discarded at the public’s convenience.
The permanent collection locations, which are open year-round, are as follows:
- Belleville Police Department, 152 Washington Avenue, Belleville
- Bloomfield Police Department, 1 Municipal Plaza, Bloomfield
- Caldwell Police Department, 1 Provost Square, Caldwell
- East Orange Police Department, 15 South Munn Avenue, East Orange
- Fairfield Police Department, 230 Fairfield Road, Fairfield
- Glen Ridge Police Department, 3 Herman Street, Glen Ridge
- Irvington Police Department, 1 Civic Square, Irvington
- Livingston Police Department, 333 South Livingston Avenue, Livingston
- Maplewood Police Department, 1618 Springfield Avenue, Maplewood
- Millburn Police Department, 435 Essex Street, Millburn
- Montclair Police, Department, 647 Bloomfield Avenue, Montclair
- Montclair State University Police Department, 1 Normal Avenue, Montclair
- Newark Police Department, 22 Franklin Street, Newark
- North Caldwell Police Department, 136 Gould Avenue, North Caldwell
- Nutley Police Department, 228 Chestnut Street, Nutley
- Orange Police Department, 29 Park Street, Orange
- South Orange Police Department, 201 South Orange Avenue, South Orange
- Verona Police Department, 600 Bloomfield Avenue, Verona
- West Orange Police Department, 60 Main Street, West Orange
The temporary collection locations, which will be open on Saturday, April 24th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., are as follows:
- Essex Fells Police Department, 255 Roseland Ave (Rear of Building), Essex Fells
- West Caldwell Police Department, 21 Clinton Road, West Caldwell
Residents can dispose of their unused prescription drug medication by placing it in the marked collection sites. Dropping off medication is anonymous and safe. Residents should remove any identifying information from the medication containers, such as their name, address, telephone number and doctor’s name. Medications that are collected are brought to a licensed facility where they are safely disposed.
For additional information, please call 973-323-3907.
