SULLIVAN COUNTY – When cleaning out the bathroom cabinet leads to rediscovering unused prescription medications, what is the next step in getting rid of them safely?

The repercussions of improper disposal could include various forms of pollution, risk of disease and injury to sanitation workers and the public’s health, as well as the endangerment of local wildlife and their habitats.

Come April, the Sullivan County Division of Health and Human Services are slated to hold another county-wide Drug Drop Off Day to avoid such a consequence, in which numerous locations will be open and available to people looking to cautiously dispose of their unwanted medications. 

In years prior, the Sullivan County Drug Task Force oversaw Drug Take Back Day, in which residents had a designated day for increased drop off locations that they could dispose of their unutilized prescription medications.

If April is too long of a wait to dispose of expired or unused pharmaceutical prescriptions, there are several safe and secure year-round drop-off locations to bring unused medications around Sullivan County.

Locations include the Fallsburg Police Department, Liberty Police Department, Monticello Police Department, and the Department of Social Services (Robert Travis Building), located at 16 Community Lane, Liberty.

Several local pharamacies will also take them, including K&K Pharmacy in Liberty.

Owner and Pharmacist of K&K Pharmacy, Sam Shah, said that proper disposal of unused medication is imperative to ensuring the safety of children and young people.

He added that proper disposal eliminates risk of a child’s possible harmful experimentation of unprescribed medications.

The Sullivan County Drug Task Force plays a large role in the attempt to assist and protect those in the community from the harm that medications, both legal and not, can do. The Task Force oversees various endeavors towards a healthier Sullivan County, including the prevention of the use of illegal substances, the legal prosecution of criminals who manufacture and distribute such substances, and assisting those who require help in battling addiction or other issues that are the result of such substance use. 

The Drug Task Force is co-chaired by Acting Sullivan County District Attorney Brian Conaty and Deputy Commissioner of Health & Human Services, Wendy Brown.

Community Health Coordinator for the Sullivan County Division of Health and Human Services, Jill Hubert-Simon, said that the next Drug Take Back Day is slated for sometime in April. 

The primary focus of Hubert-Simon’s division within the Drug Task Force is on the prevention of misusing prescription drugs and other illegal substances.

In addition to the drop off boxes as an option, Hubert-Simon said that there are Deterra Bags available for those who may seek to dispose of their medications in another way. 

These items are medical disposal systems that assist in discarding medications at home via absorption technology. It does this by deactivating the medication using activated carbon.

For more information of drop off locations, Deterra Bags, and Drug Take Back Day, please visit sullivanny.us/Departments/Publichealth, or contact the Sullivan County Division of Health and Human Services at (845) 292-5910.