Expired medication to be collected next Saturday

Crime Prevention Deputy Diana Bryant announced to Historic City News that the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office is hosting “Operation: Medicine Cabinet” next weekend in the parking lot of the Flagler Imaging Center located at 101 Health Park Boulevard in St. Augustine.

Earlier this year, the Sheriff’s Office conducted its first “Operation: Medicine Cabinet” at the Ponce de Leon Mall. Over 60 pounds of pills and more than 85 pounds of other miscellaneous medications were turned in to be destroyed.

Disposing of your unused or expired prescriptions and medications properly is extremely important. When old medications are kept in your house it increases the chance for illegal use and theft.

“This is a pharmaceutical take back program,” Bryant said. “It is a prescription for safe kids and a clean environment.”

Disposing of your unused or expired prescriptions and medications properly is extremely important. When disposing of your expired medications at home, you don’t want to flush them — because that would send them into our water system which could contaminate our water supply as well as our drinking water.

Bryant said, “Bring your unwanted or unneeded medications on Saturday, November 13, 2010 between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. to this collection event and they will be disposed of free of charge.”

Please bring the medications in their original container and that container will be returned.

Items that will not be accepted are sharps, medical wastes or thermometers.

For additional information please contact at the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office at (904) 810-6694.

Photo credit: © 2010 Historic City News SJSO contributed photograph