Crime & Safety

Rosemount Rolls Out Prescription Drug Disposal Program

Residents will be able to safely and anonymously deposit unused over-the-counter or prescription medications and illicit substances at the Rosemount Police Department.

Looking for a safe and anonymous way to dispose of unused prescription medications and other over-the-counter drugs?

The Rosemount Police Department will soon be collecting unused drugs and medications at a secure dropbox stationed inside the police department lobby.  Local residents will be able to drop off pills and other substances—no questions asked—during from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays.

The substances collected will be collected and transported to an incinerator for disposal.

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The drug dropoff is a safer alternative than flushing medications down a toilet, according to city and police officials, who say flushing medications into the sewer system can have an adverse effect on the environment.

Chemicals in prescription medications can escape wastewater treatment facilities and build up in local waterways, altering fish and wildlife through a process known as bioaccumulation, according to an international study cited in the Washington Post.

Find out what's happening in Apple Valley-Rosemountwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

But environmental damage isn't the only concern police officials hope to combat with the implementation of a safe disposal program. Presciprtion drug abuse is second only to marijuana use nationally, with as many as 22 million individuals abusing medications since 2002, according to the 2010-2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

“This is a chance to keep prescription drugs from contaminating our environment and preventing the illegal use of drugs,“ Rosemount Police Chief Eric Werner said in a news release.

Accepted substances include over the counter and prescription pills, liquids along with gelatins and creams, according to the news release. Medications should be packaged in their original container with any personal information removed from or “blacked-out” on the container.

The drug disposal program does not accept the following:

  • Needles/sharp instruments
  • Loose powders or aerosols,
  • Devices containing mercury
  • Items contaminated with body fluids, or any other products containing bio-hazardous/radioactive waste


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