Healthy Sheboygan County 2020, in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), will hold a Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 27th from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM at five locations throughout Sheboygan County.
This effort will continue to bring focus to the issue of prescription painkiller abuse in Wisconsin. The Drug Take Back Day provides a safe, convenient and responsible means of disposal, while also educating the community about the potential abuse and consequences of improper storage and disposal of these medications.
“More than two thirds of people who have abused prescription painkillers got them illegally from a friend or family member,” said Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel. “Wisconsinites can help cut down on prescription drug abuse by storing prescription drugs securely and disposing of unused medication through proper methods, like DOJ’s biannual Drug Take Back Day.”
Unused or expired medicine should never be flushed or poured down the drain. Water reclamation facilities are not designed to remove all of them and trace amounts of pharmaceuticals are showing up in rivers and lakes.
The five take-back locations in Sheboygan County will be open to accept unused medications from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM:
- Howards Grove – Village Hall, 913 South Wisconsin Dr., Howards Grove
- Oostburg – Oostburg High School, 410 New York Ave., Oostburg
- Plymouth – Generations, 1500 Douglas Dr., Plymouth, 53073
- Random Lake – Fire Department, 718 Spring St., Random Lake
- Sheboygan – St. Nicholas Hospital, 3100 Superior Ave. Sheboygan, 53081
If Sheboygan County residents are unable to make it to one of the Drug Take Back Day locations, unused medications can also be dropped off any day at one of the permanent medication drop-boxes, located at six police departments throughout Sheboygan County:
- Elkhart Lake Police Department, 40 Pine Street, Elkhart Lake
- Kohler Police Department, 319 Highland Drive, Kohler
- Plymouth Police Department, 128 Smith Street, Plymouth
- Sheboygan Police Department, 1315 N. 23rd Street, Sheboygan
- Sheboygan Falls Police Department, 375 Buffalo Street, Sheboygan Falls
- Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Department, 525 N 6th Street, Sheboygan
Healthy Sheboygan County 2020 (HSC2020) is a community-based initiative seeking to make positive changes in the health status of Sheboygan County by 2020. Members and representation in HSC2020 includes public health, local health care agencies, schools, businesses, and community representatives that work together to help the community live better, longer lives.
GUIDELINES:
All waste pharmaceuticals must be generated by a household – no businesses are allowed.
Bring: Prescription (controlled and non-controlled) and over-the-counter medications, ointments, patches, inhalers, non-aerosol sprays, creams, vials and pet medications.
Do Not Bring: Illegal drugs, needles/sharps, acids, aerosol cans, bio-hazardous materials (anything containing a bodily fluid or blood), personal care products (shampoo, soaps, lotions, sunscreens), household hazardous waste (paint, pesticides, oil, gas), mercury thermometers.
- Participants may dispose of medication(s) by removing the medication from its container and disposing of it directly into a disposal box or into a clear sealable plastic bag. Plastic pill containers should not be collected. Blister packages without the medications being removed are acceptable.
- Liquids will be accepted during this initiative. However, the liquids, creams and sprays must be in their original packaging and their weight evenly distributed within the boxes of collected solid prescription medications. Liquids without the original packaging will not be accepted.
- Illicit substances such as marijuana or methamphetamine are not a part of this initiative and should not be placed in collection containers.