Operation Medicine Cabinet, which aims to collect unwanted medicine, will be open for business at the East Windsor Township Police Department/Municipal Court building at 80 One Mile Road on Oct. 27.
East Windsor residents can drop off their unused, unwanted and expired prescription medicine in a drop box in the lobby of the building. The event is offered periodically by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The goal is to collect medicine so it can be disposed of in a safe manner, Mayor Janice S. Mironov said. East Windsor is participating in next week’s drug collection effort, as it does whenever the DEA sponsors it.
“East Windsor is partnering again with the local DEA office in this special event to promote, and focus on, the importance of disposing of expired or unneeded medications in a safe and responsible non-hazardous manner,” Mironov said.
“This program provides an opportunity to securely dispose of unused, unwanted and expired medications in an environmentally responsible manner and prevents possible misuse or access to these drugs by unauthorized persons and young people,” she said.
The DEA collected nearly 78 pounds of unwanted prescription drugs when it conducted a similar drug collection drive in April. This was double the amount of 35 pounds of drugs that was collected in the 2017 edition of Operation Medicine Cabinet.
The medicine that is collected will be turned over to the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office and the DEA to be destroyed.
While Operation Medicine Cabinet is helpful and has been successful, it is not the only chance for residents to dispose of unwanted or unneeded prescription drugs.
East Windsor residents can drop off unneeded medicine in the drop box, which has been permanently installed in the lobby at the Police Department/Municipal Court building, every day of the year, Mironov said.
The goal of installing the drop box is to make it convenient for residents so they will not have to rely on periodic events such as Operation Medicine Cabinet to dispose of drugs, Mironov said, adding that residents should make use of the drop box.
