SHEBOYGAN, WI – Healthy Sheboygan County 2020 held its second drug take-back event of 2016 on Saturday, October 22, receiving more than 357 pounds of unused prescription medication from community members.
Volunteers and law enforcement coordinated five take-back locations throughout the county – one each in Sheboygan, Random Lake, Plymouth, Oostburg and Howards Grove. The medications taken in this past weekend are in addition to the 452 pounds of medication turned in at the take-back event held in April.
“Safely disposing of unused prescription medications is an important part of preventing theft or abuse of those medications, and in turn can help prevent the risk of addiction and overdose,” said Sergeant Kurt Zempel, commander of the Sheboygan County MEG Unit and member of the Healthy Sheboygan County 2020 Heroin Subcommittee.
“Prescription medications left unsecured at home are at risk of being stolen or abused,” Zempel said. “Once they are no longer needed they shouldn’t be flushed down the toilet or thrown in the garbage, so the drug take-back events and permanent drug drop boxes are the best option to make sure the medications are disposed of properly,” he said.
Zempel said Sheboygan County residents do not have to wait for the next drug take-back day to dispose of unused or expired medications safely, but can do so on any day at the five permanent drug drop-boxes in the county. They are located at the Elkhart Lake, Kohler, Plymouth, Sheboygan and Sheboygan Falls police departments.
The drug take-back events are being held in conjunction with the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s “Dose of Reality” initiative, with similar events planned for spring and fall of 2017.
