Saturday Is Dispose of Old Prescription Drugs Day

Photo by  David M. Goehring

The DC Department of Health and DC Water are encouraging District residents to participate in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s newest nation-wide effort to help improve the disposal methods of prescription drug medication.

Unused or expired prescription medications are a public safety issue, which can lead to accidental poisoning, overdose, and abuse. Unused drugs that are thrown in the toilet can end up in the water supply.

“Residents should take advantage of this opportunity to properly dispose of their unwanted or old medications,” said Dr. Pierre Vigilance, Director of DOH. “By following safe and appropriate medication disposal methods, it will help reduce the likelihood of endangering our community and our environment.”

DC Water is asking the public to surrender all leftover or expired pharmaceuticals to ensure safety for people, the environment and our waterways. “We hope residents will turn in their unused and unwanted medications for safe collection and disposal, instead of flushing them down the drain,” said DC Water General Manager George S. Hawkins. “Most medications that are flushed down the sink or toilet end up in our rivers and streams. This initiative helps to protect our waterways and preserve aquatic life.”

The DEA will offer several collection sites this Saturday, September 25th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  The service is free and anonymous. Here is a list of collection sites in the District of Columbia. For more information, visit the DC Department of Health's website.

Collection Site	Address
First Police District	101 M Street, SW
First District Substation	500 E Street, SE
Second Police District	3320 Idaho Avenue, NW
Third Police District	1620 V Street, NW
Third District Substation	750 Park Road, NW
Fourth Police District	6001 Georgia Avenue, NW
Fifth Police District	1805 Bladensburg Road, NE
Sixth Police District	100 42nd Street, NE
Seventh Police District	2455 Alabama Avenue, SE