Edited release
10/27/23
On Saturday, Johnson County residents can properly dispose of unwanted or outdated pharmaceuticals and needles. The event will be held in the parking lot of the East Side Recycling Center at 2401 Scott Blvd. SE between 10am-2pm.
The event is part of Prescription Drug Take Back Day, organized nationally by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. The Iowa City Police Department, and the Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center partner to offer the local event.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the three classes of medication most commonly misused are opioids typically prescribed to treat pain, central nervous system depressants used to treat anxiety and sleep disorders, and stimulants typically prescribed to treat attention-deficit hyper activity disorder. Misuse of prescription drugs has led to an increase in emergency room visits, treatment admissions for prescription drug use disorders and overdose deaths.
Pharmaceuticals should be in the original containers with names blacked out or in plastic baggies with no personal patient information.
Sharps/needles should be contained in sealed, rigid plastic containers with firmly attached lids, such as coffee cans or laundry detergent bottles. Plastic containers made of thinner plastic – such as milk jugs – should not be used. Needles and sharps that come in unsafe containers – such as cardboard boxes, milk jugs, or plastic bags – will not be accepted. Needles can only be accepted from individual community members. No vaping materials will be accepted.
For questions about the local take-back event, contact Resource Management Superintendent Jennifer Jordan at jejordan@iowa-city.org.
Events for pharmaceutical collections in other communities can be found at the following link:
https://odcp.iowa.gov/programs/prescription-drug-take-backs.