Drug Take Back Day
Interviewed by WHIZ reporter Gabe Hutton
The Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department hosted its annual Drug Take Back Day, continuing a community initiative that has been in place for more than two decades.
The event offers residents a safe and convenient way to dispose of unused or expired medications while also helping reduce clutter in household medicine cabinets. Designed as a drive-thru service, participants were able to drop off medications without leaving their vehicles, making the process both quick and accessible.
Health officials emphasize that proper disposal is critical, as throwing medications away improperly or flushing them can have harmful effects on both the environment and the community.
Amanda McPeck, Assistant Public Information Officer at the health department, highlighted the importance of the event.
“Drug take back day is really important to be able to help everybody clear the medicine cabinet,” McPeck said. “We don’t want liquids and things like that to go down our drains and into our septic systems or our sewage. And we want to get pills and everything like that that is expired out of their medicine cabinet and disposed of safely. We are also the health department. Here is one of the only places that will accept syringes and other needles and sharps and all of those types of things.”
Another common concern among participants is the privacy of personal information on prescription bottles. McPeck reassured residents that safeguarding that information is a priority.
“The benefits are like you don’t have to take care of anything. Don’t take your labels off or anything,” she said. “We have a team from Behavioral Health Choices and Genesis Pharmacy and Genesis here to remove all of the labels, as well as our own health department employees that are removing all those labels, making sure your information is protected and kept.”
Events like Drug Take Back Day continue to play an important role in promoting safe disposal practices and protecting both public health and the environment.
For more information and updates on future events, visit the Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department website.
https://www.zmchd.org/
