INDIANAPOLIS — People with expired or unneeded prescription drugs can drop them off at several locations Saturday across Indianapolis as part of National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.
Prescription medications are among the most-common agents involved in childhood poisoning and there are 60,000 emergency room visits each year due to a child finding and ingesting prescription drugs.
Drug take backs happen twice a year. In April, more than 22,700 pounds of unused medication was collected in Indiana. All the medicine collected is taken to a Drug Enforcement Agency disposal site to be disposed of properly.
Experts say it is a much better option than flushing medications, which can contaminate drinking water and local waterways.
"That's what we don't want is everyone to dump them into the sewer system and then they have to process all that through their system so this is a much safer way to do it," Indianapolis Fire Department battalion chief for media relations Rita Reith said.
The DEA is also accepting vaping devices and cartridges, but ask that people remove any lithium ion batteries before turning in a device.
There are several drop off locations across Central Indiana:
- Indiana State Police Headquarters
- Indianapolis Fire Department Station 1
- Indianapolis Fire Department Station 2
- Indianapolis Fire Department Station 4
- Indianapolis Fire Department Station 23
- Indianapolis Fire Department Station 27
- Indiana State Police District 52
- Indiana Board of Pharmacy
- Avon Police Department
- IU West Hospital
- Community Cancer Center North
- Community Hospital South
- Community Howard Regional Health
- Kroger locations at: 11700 Olio Road, Fishers; 970 Morton St., Franklin; 2629 E. 65th St., Indianapolis; 8745 S. Emerson Ave., Indianapolis; 5 Boone Village, Zionville
- Walmart locations at: 790 Greensburg Commons Center, Greensburg; 9500 E. U.S. Highway 36, Avon; 1894 Ridge Ave., Danville; 2440 N. Lebanon St., Lebanon; 1101 Windhorst Way, Greenwood (at Sam's Club)
- Greencastle High School
