By Deb Kroon
Review Staff Writer
In 2012 the Nobles County Sheriff’s Department began offering a program called “Take It To the Box”. A disposal box was installed at the Prairie Justice Center to give citizens of Nobles County a safe place to dispose of outdated, unwanted or unused medications. The “old” method of flushing unwanted medications, or throwing them in the garbage is unsafe and contaminates our environment. There is also the chance that these medications could find their way into the wrong hands.
To make the disposal easier for surrounding areas of Nobles County, the Sheriff’s Department has set up a schedule of stops county-wide beginning May 15th. This program is being provided free of charge, by the Sheriff’s Department, for all citizens of Nobles County.
At each stop, two Deputy Sheriffs will be on site for one hour. (See chart below for dates and times) They will accept any over-the-counter or prescription medication, including narcotics and liquids. “The only things the deputies will not be accepting are needles or syringes” said Sheriff Kent Wilkening. “We do not have a place available to dispose of them properly.”
Leave your medications in the original bottles. Before dropping them off, cross off your name and prescription number with a heavy marker. Please leave the name of the drug on the bottle if possible. Liquid medications-be sure the lid is screwed on tightly. Place them in a zip-lock bag.
“We have to have a check and balance system in place when dealing with drugs” Sheriff Wilkening stated. “This is why you will see two officers at each site. After each day, the drugs are returned to the Sheriff’s Office by the deputies, where they will be stored in the evidence room. Once a month two deputies take the collected drugs to a licensed facility where they are incinerated.”
“ We are going to try this program in hopes that it will be a success” said Wilkening. “Hopefully it is something we will offer yearly”
There are brochures on the disposal program available at the Sheriffs Office. The brochures are also passed out at the fair. Sheriff Wilkening is hoping to eventually get these brochures into the hands of area funeral directors. There is always a question of what to do with a deceased loved one’s medications. Hopefully this would be helpful information.
If you have any questions on disposal at the Prairie Justice Center, or the county-wide disposal, please contact the Sheriffs Department at 507-295-5400.
