The Port Washington Water District will host a Pharmaceutical Take-Back Day on Saturday, Oct. 26, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at its headquarters, 38 Sandy Hollow Road.
The district established this event to provide residents of Port Washington with an opportunity to safely dispose of their expired or unused prescription drugs. Residents are encouraged to bring their unused or expired prescriptions and other medications to this event, as improper disposal can negatively impact the quality of the community’s water supply.
“Pharmaceutical Take Back Day is the ideal way for residents to safely and quickly dispose of unused or expired medications,” Port Washington Water District chairman David Brackett said. “By participating in this event, residents are ensuring that these pharmaceuticals are not entering our water source, which would endanger public health.”
Improperly disposing of pharmaceutical drugs and other controlled substances can allow foreign contaminants to seep into the water supply, raising the potential for groundwater contamination and causing expenses for future treatment needs.
“Seeing so many people come to our Pharmaceutical Take Back Day year after year is a point of pride for us,” Port Washington Water District commissioner Mindy Germain said. “We already know that Port Washington is one of the most environmentally-conscious communities on Long Island, but the tremendous participation we see at this event every year shows that our residents truly care for the health of their aquifer.”
The disposal process is a simple drive-through event. Residents pull into the district parking lot and toss their medications into a large collection bin.
After the event, the Port Washington Police will take the discarded medications and ship them to a certified disposal site.
“Part of the reason why our Pharmaceutical Take Back Day remains so popular is its simplicity,” Port Washington Water District commissioner Peter Meyer said. “The only preparation residents need to do is to place medications in a disposable bag, and the entire process of dropping off their medications takes about a minute. Despite how easy the process is, it truly makes a big impact on our environment, and we encourage all of our residents to visit our headquarters and take advantage of this program.”
The district is partnering with several local organizations and municipalities in promoting its Pharmaceutical Take Back Day event, including the Port Washington Police Department, the Town of North Hempstead, the Port Washington Water Pollution Control District, the Village of Manorhaven, ReWild Long Island, the Manhasset Bay Protection Committee, the Village of Flower Hill, Residents Forward, the Village of Port Washington North, the Village of Baxter Estates, the Village of Plandome Manor and the Hempstead Harbor Protection Committee.
Visit www.pwwd.org to learn more.
