Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone Thursday announced the expansion of a program to collect and dispose of old or unneeded prescription medications to reduce drug abuse and protect the environment.
As part of Suffolk County’s overall substance abuse initiative, Operation Medicine Cabinet will expand to senior centers in county police jurisdiction, Bellone said at a press conference at the Town of Huntington senior center.
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The department’s seven precincts already maintain receptacles where residents can anonymously drop off unwanted medications, which are then safely disposed of off site. The program is designed to reduce the opportunity for abuse of drugs by disposing of them elsewhere, and prevent further pollution of water resources by keeping them out of the waste stream.
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“This program is an innovative example of how Suffolk County is working hard to protect our drinking water and surface waters from contamination threats posed by the improper disposal of items in our medicine cabinet,” Bellone said. “It is also a great way to reduce drug abuse by taking these prescriptions out of circulation when they are no longer needed for legitimate purposes.”
Suffolk County Police Commissioner Edward Webber said the drugs are disposed of in an environmentally safe manner and said their removal would help remove the temptation to misuse drugs.
“This is an incredibly important initiative to protect our environment, the water we drink and to keep dangerous prescription drugs out of the hands of our young people,” said Suffolk County Legislator Steven Stern. “There is such tremendous support for Operation Medicine Cabinet that after we hosted the last event, we were able to fill up two large bins of unwanted or unused medication. The success of the program relies on you and your neighbors to participate.
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Town Councilwomen Susan Berland and Tracey Edwards also spoke about the value of the program and encouraged seniors to check their cabinets to remove expired or unneeded prescription or over-the-counter drugs.
The program will continue to expand to senior centers around the county, with receptacles available on Wednesdays from 10-1 p.m. at these centers:
Babylon: North Amityville Sr. Center– 48-C Cedar Road, Amityville –
Huntington Sr. Nutrition Program – 423 Park Avenue, Room 105, Huntington
Islip: Joyce Fitzpatrick Center– 50 Irish Lane, East Islip –
Smithtown: TBD
Brookhaven: 39 Montauk Highway, Blue Point, NY -
Brookhaven: Rose Caracappa Sr. Center – 739 Route 25A, Mt. Sinai
Brookhaven: Brookhaven Mastic Community Center – 15 Herkimer Street, Mastic
