Wisconsin takes in more than 30 tons of medication

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin attorney general Josh Kaul announced Tuesday the state’s Drug Take Back Day on Oct. 26 resulted in collecting 60,472 pounds of medication.

“This successful Drug Take Back collection reflects the commitment of people across the state to fighting substance abuse,” Kaul said in a news release. “Thanks to the many Wisconsinites who are helping to prevent unused and unwanted medications from being diverted.”

The effort was the second largest collection in the nation, according to the release — with only Texas collecting more medication, according to information on the Drug Enforcement Agency’s website.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice said 280 law enforcement agencies across the state hosted take-back events and collected disposed drugs from 476 permanent drug disposal boxes that remain accessible year-round.

Medication that isn’t used or that has expired shouldn’t be flushed or poured down the drain, according to the DOJ’s release, as sewage treatment facilities aren’t designed to remove them and trace amounts of pharmaceuticals have been found in rivers and lakes.

The collected medications is being secured and transported to Covanta Energy Corporation in Indianapolis, according to the release, where they will be incinerated.”

For anyone with medication they weren’t able to dispose of during the Drug Take Back Day, a nearby permanent drug dispose box can be found at doseofrealitywi.gov/drug-takeback/find-a-take-back-location/.

The Iron County Sheriff’s Department and the Marshfield Clinic Health System’s Mercer Center are two of the Iron County locations with a disposal box.

For more information on the importance of properly disposing medication, visit doseofrealitywi.gov.

—Richard Jenkins