Bridging Health Duluth and WLSSD Host Drug Take Back Event at Aspirus St. Luke's
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Saturday, October 27, is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. But there are now two more locations – in Duluth and Two Harbors, where people can properly dispose of old medications every day. Today, Bridging Health Duluth and WLSSD hosted an event at St. Luke’s to highlight the new locations and demonstrate just how easy safe disposal is.
By working together, the groups are hoping to keep unused or expired drugs out of the wrong hands, prevent accidental poisoning and drug abuse, keep them out of landfills, and out of rivers and streams. All become a possibility when old and unused medications are left to linger in medicine cabinets.
Today, Bridging Health Duluth members and WLSSD held an event at the newest medicine drop-off location in Duluth – St. Luke’s Northland Pharmacy. St. Luke’s has also recently added a drug take back box at its Lake View Pharmacy. These are the 16th and 17th locations in the Twin Ports where people can drop off unwanted drugs. Many drug take-back boxes look very similar to a library book drop. Some locations are open every single day of the year. Drug take back boxes can be found at Essentia Pharmacies, Walgreens and CVS Pharmacies near Leif Erikson Park, the Duluth, Hermantown, Proctor and Superior Police Departments, and now at St. Luke’s Lake View Pharmacy and Northland Pharmacy.
The boxes are made to safely dispose of unused or expired prescriptions, over-the-counter medication and pet medication. To use them, remove identifying information from unwanted medications and take them to a drug take back box near you.
For a list of places across the region offering drug take back boxes see the attached handout or visit www.wlssd.com/education/pollution-prevention/medicine.