Madison, WI – On Saturday, April 30, 2022, the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) will coordinate a Prescription Drug Take Back Initiative throughout Wisconsin as a way to provide safe and responsible means of disposal for prescription medications.
On Prescription Drug Take Back Day, participating law enforcement agencies can host one or more collection sites at locations and times of their choosing for household to safely dispose of prescriptions and over-the-counter medications, ointments, patches, non-aerosol sprays, inhalers, creams, vitals and pet medications.
There are almost 500 permanent drug disposal boxes accessible year-round across Wisconsin at law enforcement agencies, hospitals, pharmacies, and health clinics. Through the Wisconsin Department of Health Services website, you can find a permanent drug drop box near you.
State Senator Melissa Agard (D-Madison) released the following statement of support:
“Prescription Drug Take Back Day provides education and awareness for proper storage and disposal of unused medications. We know that unused prescription medications in homes create a public health and safety concern because they can accidentally be ingested, stolen, misused, and abused.
“Safely disposing medications is an environmental concern as well—flushing or pouring medications down the drain is not safe for our water supply, and trace amounts of pharmaceuticals are showing up in our rivers and lakes. Water contamination is a serious issue, and it’s our responsibility to ensure dangerous chemicals do not get into our groundwater, water sources, or harm our environment.
“I want to thank Attorney General Josh Kaul and everyone at DOJ for providing accessible means to dispose of prescription medications safely. Last year, Wisconsin had the largest Drug Take Back Day collection in the country, having received over 57,000 lbs. of unwanted medications. It’s important that we come together to safely dispose of all medications to ensure they will not be misused.”
