The purpose of the semiannual National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is to provide a safe and convenient way to dispose of prescription drugs.

Across New York state, communities like the town of Brighton are holding medication events to help both the community and the environment.

The town’s medication take-back drive-through is a partnership between local law enforcement and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

“We want to encourage people to clean out their medicine cabinets,” Brighton Town Supervisor Bill Moehle said. “Too often people flush unneeded medications down the toilet. We want to keep them out of the waste stream, out of the watershed here in the area, bring them in where they’ll be safely disposed of.”

Medication incorrectly disposed of can have a significant impact on the environment. According to the American Medical Association, through household disposal of medications, drugs can end up in landfills and contaminate which can contaminate water and soil systems.

“The main thing is just having a safe place to dispose of the medications we don’t need rather than having them sit around the house,” said community member Samantha Cuddy.

Getting old and unwanted prescriptions out of your cabinet and disposing of them safely can be important for the safety of others. Along with helping the environment, pharmaceutical drug takebacks also limit the likelihood of inappropriate access to drugs in the home.

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that nearly half of the 9.3 million people who misused prescription pain relievers in 2022 obtained them from family and friends without their knowledge, making National Drug Takeback Day a crucial part of combating the opioid crisis.