Event offers safe disposal for unused, expired prescriptions

Law enforcement agencies will host an event for the public to turn in unused or expired medication from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 30 at the Kihei and Wailuku police stations.

Collection sites will be open across the state as part of National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, which since 2010 has helped collect and dispose of more than 56,000 pounds of unused or expired prescription medications in Hawaii, according to a news release from the state Department of the Attorney General.

Most of the sites will be conducted as drive-thru events. Medications can be placed in a disposable bag and dropped off at the site. Tablets, capsules, liquids and other forms of medication will be accepted. Participants do not need to remove the labels or take the pills out of the containers.

Vaping devices with batteries removed will also be accepted. Syringes will not be accepted.

The service is free and anonymous, with no questions asked.

Unused or expired medicine should be properly disposed of when no longer needed, as medicines may lose their effectiveness after the expiration date, the news release said. Improper use of prescription drugs can be as dangerous as illegal drug use.

Having unused or expired medicine at home also increases the risk of accidental poisoning, especially in households with children or elderly residents. People may mistake one type of medicine for another, or children may think it is candy.

Expired medicine should not be thrown in the trash or flushed down the toilet. Proper disposal reduces the risk of prescription drugs entering the drinking water supply or harming aquatic life.

For a list of designated collection sites, visit ag.hawaii .gov or takebackday.dea.gov.

For those unable to participate in the event, a list of drug take back drop box locations is also available at hawaiiopioid .org.