Montanans are invited to bring their unwanted and/or unused prescription pills and patches for free, no-questions-asked disposal at one of 36 participating collection sites across the state on Saturday, October 27th.
The event will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to a press release from the Montana Department of Justice,
“We have a record number of participating Take Back Day locations this Saturday, and I encourage all Montanans to visit the site nearest them to dispose of their unused and expired medications,” Montana Attorney General Tim Fox said. “Prescription drugs that sit in home medicine cabinets are highly susceptible to abuse, misuse, and diversion. Throwing them away or flushing them down the toilet are both potential safety and health hazards. Take Back Day offers a convenient way for each of us to properly dispose of our outdated medications while protecting our communities and the environment at the same time.”
Cities hosting Take Back events include Big Timber, Billings, Box Elder, Bozeman, Browning, Butte, Columbus, Crow Agency, Cut Bank, Dillon, Fort Belknap, Gardiner, Glendive, Great Falls, Harlowton, Havre, Helena, Jordan, Lame Deer, Lewistown, Libby, Lincoln, Livingston, Miles City, Missoula, Poplar, Red Lodge, Ronan, Roundup, Superior, West Yellowstone, and Whitefish.
To view the details of each event, visit www.dea.gov. This site will be updated with new participating locations.
The following items cannot be accepted at Take Back events: Illegal drugs, chemotherapy drugs, needles, sharps, mercury (thermometers), oxygen containers, pressurized canisters, and radioactive substances.
Montanans who cannot make it to a Take Back Day event, or who do not live in one of the cities hosting a Take Back event, can dispose of their unwanted medications by visiting one of over 50 permanent drug drop box locations across the state.
The National Prescription Drug Take Back event addresses a vital public safety and public health issue.
Nationwide, a total of 949,046 pounds, or 474 tons, were brought to 5,842 collection sites in April. Nearly 33,000 pounds of prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications have been collected at Montana National Take Back Day events since 2010.
