Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and the Police Chiefs Association of Montgomery County announced the locations for the bi-annual prescription drug Take Back Day, scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., this Saturday, April 28.  Forty-four locations throughout Montgomery County will serve as drop-off locations for unwanted and expired medications.

            This spring's Take Back Day, which coincides with the DEA's nationwide Take Back Day, is the largest in terms of number of participating police department locations since Take Back Day began in Montgomery County in 2010. It's a chance for Montgomery County residents to clean out their medicine cabinets of unwanted, unused and expired prescription medications and dispose of them easily in a safe, environmentally friendly way. 

            Ridding medicine cabinets of these medications is an important step in combatting the growing opioid and heroin epidemic, which often begins with prescription medicines taken from a home medicine cabinet.

            The participating sites in the Town and Country's readership are: Collegeville Police Department, 491 E.  Main  St., Collegeville, PA 19426; Douglass Township Police  Department at the Giant Food  Store,173 Holly  Rd., Gilbertsville, PA 19525; Franconia Township Police  Department/Indian Valley  Character Counts Coalition at Franconia Elementary School, 366 Harleysville Pike, Souderton, PA 18964; Hatfield Township Police  Department at the Administration Building, 1950 School Rd., Hatfield, PA 19440; Lower  Pottsgrove Township Police  Department at Sanatoga Fire  Company, 2222 E. High  St., Pottstown, PA 19464; Marlborough Township Police  Department, 6040 Upper Ridge  Rd.,  Green Lane, PA 18054; New Hanover Township Police  Department, 2943 N. Charlotte St., Gilbertsville, PA 19525; Pottstown Police  Department, 100 E. High  St., Pottstown, PA 19464; Souderton Borough Police  Department, 31 West  Summit St., Souderton, PA 18964; Towamencin Township Police  Department, 1090 Troxel Rd.,  Lansdale,  PA 19446; Upper Perk Police  Department, 88 W. Sixth St., Pennsburg, PA 18073; and Upper Pottsgrove Police  Department, 1420 Heather Place, Pottstown, PA 19464.

            The  sites, staffed by police officers, will accept prescription and over-the­ counter tablets and capsules, liquid medications, inhalers, creams and ointments, nasal sprays and pet  medications. Not accepted are intravenous and injectable solutions and  needles. Prescription medicines can be in their original prescription bottles with the label removed or can be placed in plastic bags.

            If someone cannot make it to a Take Back Day location on April 28, unwanted medications can be dropped off and disposed of throughout the year at more than 50 permanent Prescription Drug Disposal Boxes, many sponsored by Pennsylvania American Water in an effort to help keep our water supply safe since it is not safe to flush unwanted medicines down the toilet. The complete list of permanent locations can be found on the District Attorney's Office website at www.montcopa.org/da.