On Saturday, April 30, from 10 a.m.to 2 p.m., the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office along with the police departments of Boothbay Harbor, Damariscotta, Waldoboro, and Wiscasset will host the semi-annual Drug Take-Back Day.

One in five adults over age 40 takes at least five prescriptions. With many prescription medications in circulation, it’s is likely that folks have at least one expired or unused medication sitting in the cabinets.

The medication disposal event is each spring and fall for the last 10 years with the goal to prevent prescription drug misuse and theft.  We invite you to bring in expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs for safe disposal, no questions asked!  This is a national event is sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Agency, local law enforcement, and community health partners. The service is free and anonymous.

There will be five drop-off locations in Lincoln County:

• Boothbay Harbor Town Office;
• Lincoln Health, Miles Campus in Damariscotta;
• The Whitefield Lions Club in Whitefield;
• Waldoboro Town Office; and the
• Wiscasset Police Department  

The DEA can accept all unused, unwanted, or expired prescriptions or over-the-counter medications. This includes pills, liquids, ointments, and patches. The DEA cannot accept needles, other sharps, syringes, electronic devices, or devices with mercury.

Every spring and fall, hundreds of pounds of prescription drugs are returned to Lincoln County disposal sites. Just last fall, Maine collected nearly 25,000 pounds of medications statewide these high numbers show that Maine is committed to disposing of unused medications to reduce misuse, abuse, and accidental overdose. 

Let us keep our kids, pets, and others safe by not throwing them in the trash or holding onto old medications.  In addition, flushing medications or disposing of them in the trash is damaging to our natural resources. “The more times that Drug Take Back Day is held and the more we promote its existence, the more we normalize the practice and raise awareness on the importance of disposing of unwanted or expired medication in a safe manner. At the end of the day, it’s a really simple way to protect the safety and wellbeing of our community, and ourselves,” states Kelsey Robinson, director at Healthy Lincoln County.

For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the Take Back Day event, go to the DEA Diversion website or call the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office at 207-882-7332.