Spring Medication Take Back Day Saturday April 25

Be a part of the addiction and pollution solution by bringing your expired, unused, and unwanted pharmaceuticals and disposing of them at the Dubois County Medication Collection on Saturday, April 25 in collaboration with the DEA National Pharmaceutical Drug Take Back Event.  The Jasper State Police Post, located at 2209 Newton Street, will host a collection from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET while the Dubois Fire Station located at 4199 N. State Road 545, Dubois and the Ireland Fire Station located at 5053 W Main St.  will host the two county collection sites from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

The Jasper State Police Post site is a drive through event, while the two county sites are walk up, with drive up available as needed. Medications are accepted anonymously and either the resident or volunteer places them in the box for proper disposal immediately after they are received.

The Jasper Police Station located 309 E. 6th St also accept pharmaceuticals 24/7 year round in their drop box.

Dubois County residents are asked to rid their homes of expired, unwanted, and unused medications. Unused drugs are a common household health threat that can be lessened when you clean the old and unused meds out of your home.

No sharps (auto-injectors, needles, syringes, IV catheters, blades, lancets, auto-injectors, infusion sets, connection needle/sets, and glass), infectious materials, (anything containing bodily fluids) or waste will be collected.  This collection is for private citizens only.  No collections will be accepted from businesses or health facilities.

The partners of this event remind residents that correct disposal of medications creates a safer and cleaner environment, and greater public awareness reduces illegal activities and scavenging of personal property and public waste receptacles.  Pharmaceuticals should never be poured down the drain or flushed down the toilet. Doing so potentially pollutes our waterways, ground water and drinking water. Some drugs may kill the beneficial bacteria in sewage treatment plants and septic systems and may produce resistant infectious bacteria.    Keeping old medications in the home is unsafe as children or adults may confuse the medication and it creates the potential for theft of certain medications. This collection event is the perfect opportunity to clean out the medicine cabinet and dispose of medications properly.

The Dubois County Sheriff’s Department will attend to the collection at the county collection sites, while the Indiana State Police will attend the Jasper Post site.  

This project impacts the substance abuse and environmental stewardship of Dubois County communities and requires collaboration.  The partners that make this successful are Dubois County CARES, Dubois County Solid Waste Management District, Dubois County Advocacy for Recovery and Prevention Council, Dubois and Ireland Fire Departments, Dubois County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana State Police, and Drug Enforcement Administration.

For general information or if you have questions, contact: Carla Striegel-Winner, Dubois County Solid Waste Management District; 812-482-7865, [email protected]