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PCSO Sgt. Pat Ramirez, PCSO Sheriff Paul Babeu, Michael A. Flores II Volunteer Board Member of Superior Substance Abuse Coalition (S.S.A.C.) and Elizabeth Magallanez, S.S.A.C. Chairperson, were on hand for the opening of the prescription drug disposal box in Superior. The coalition has been working for over 5 years on the RX Disposal Box Initiative and we are so pleased to finally have it in place thanks to our Sheriff Babeu. (Photo courtesy of Michael A. Flores II)
Members of the Superior Substance Abuse Coalition have been working for a while with PCSO to establish the prescription drug disposal box in Superior.
Last week, the Superior Substance Abuse Coalition, Pinal County Sheriff’s Office and town of Superior proudly opened the first medicine disposal box in Superior. The box is located inside the Superior Police Station, 734 Main St., and can be accessed through the lobby.
Like boxes installed throughout the county, the medicine disposal box has some strict rules governing it:
Accepted Items
• Prescriptions
• Prescription Patches
• Prescription Medications
• Over-the-Counter Medications
• Vitamins
• Samples
• Pet Medications
Items that are NOT accepted:
• Hydrogen Peroxide
• Inhalers
• Aerosol Cans
• Ointments, Lotions or Liquids
• Medication from Businesses or Clinics
• Needles (Sharps)
• Thermometers
But what can you do with items that are not accepted? A Copper Corridor pharmacist has these suggestions.
For liquids like cough syrup
Remove your name and prescription number from the bottle. Peel the labels off completely or use a permanent marker to hide the information. Then put used coffee grounds, kitty litter or even dirt into the bottle – enough to make sure that the liquid can’t be consumed. Put the lid back on the bottle and duct tape it closed. Then dispose of the bottle in the household trash.
For needles (sharps)
Put the used needles into an old bleach or laundry bottle. When the bottle is approximately three-quarters full, duct tape the lid closed. With a permanent marker, write “Caution! Sharps!” or “Biohazard! Sharps!” on the side of the bottle. She said that the bottle can be taken to any pharmacy or doctor’s office and it would be disposed with the rest of the clinic’s sharps. This method is also good for lancets used by diabetics to check their blood sugar levels.
For inhaler tubes and other goodies
Inhaler tubes, the pharmacist said, can just be thrown away in the household trash. Ointments can also be thrown away in the household trash.
The medication disposal box will be overseen by the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office. It will be emptied by the department and the deposited medications will be destroyed by their experts.
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