Donate Unwanted Pills in So. Lehigh Area on Drug 'Take Back Day'

The seventh National Take Back Day drug collection event scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. will be an opportunity for Lehigh County residents to take expired and unused prescription and over-the-counter medications to police departments and other locations throughout the county, for safe, no-questions-asked disposal.

In the Southern Lehigh area, residents will be able to drop off their unwanted medications at these locations:

• Lower Milford Township Police Department, 7607 Chestnut Hill Church Road, Coopersburg

• Giant supermarket (at the store pharmacy), 216 E. Fairmount St. and Route 309, Coopersburg (Coopersburg police will collect medications)

• Upper Saucon Township Police Department, 5500 Camp Meeting Road, Center Valley

According to a news release about the upcoming event from the Lehigh County District Attorney's office, county residents can dispose of capsules, pills (including pet medications) and liquids. Syringes or "sharps" will not be accepted.

Residents who dispose of medications will remain anonymous, as has been the case in the last six collections.

The drug take-back initiative is being coordinated by the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office, area police departments, the Allentown Health Bureau, Pennsylvania State Police and the U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration.

“Residents are grateful for the opportunity to dispose of medications properly,” Lehigh County District Attorney James B. Martin said. “Police have reported that as soon as one Take Back Day is over, they receive calls and inquiries from the public about when the next one will be.

"I am pleased that the public has responded so well to these events and that there is greater awareness of the dangers of having these drugs accumulating in homes or being improperly disposed of in landfills and sewage systems," he added.

Following the take-back, DEA personnel take the drugs to an incinerator, where they are burned.

During the last Take Back Day in April 2013, a record amount of almost 1,558 pounds of medications were collected at 17 sites in Lehigh County, the district attorney's office said. 

Other Lehigh County collection sites on Oct. 26 will be as follows:

• Catasauqua Police Department, 118 Bridge St., Catasauqua

• Emmaus Police Department, 400 Jubilee St., Emmaus

• Alburtis Police Department, 260 Franklin St., Alburtis

• Macungie Police Department, 21 Locust St., Macungie

• South Mall (Central Court), 3300 Lehigh St., Salisbury Township (Salisbury Township police will collect medications)

• Giant supermarket, 3015 W. Emmaus Ave., Allentown (Allentown police and the Allentown Health Bureau will collect medications)

• Walgreen’s Pharmacy, 1702 W. Tilghman St., Allentown (Allentown police and the Allentown Health Bureau will collect medications)

• Fountain Hill Police Department, 941 Long St., Fountain Hill

• Slatington Police Department, 125 S. Walnut St., Slatington

• South Whitehall Township Police Department, 4444 Walbert Ave., main entrance to the Police Department is at the back of the Municipal Building on the lower level

• Target, 912 Airport Center Road, Airport Shopping Plaza, Hanover Township, Lehigh County (Pennsylvania State Police will collect medications)

• Upper Macungie Township Police Department, 37 Grim Road, Upper Macungie Township

• Westgate Mall, main entrance, 2285 Schoenersville Road, Bethlehem (Bethlehem police will collect medications)

• Whitehall Township Police Department, 3731 Lehigh St., Whitehall Township

For information about other locations, visit www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov and click on “Got Drugs” on the left side of the page, or click on “search for a collection site near you” and then enter a zip code.