Operation Take-Back Day program held on April 30 was a major success, taking in almost double the amount of unused prescription and over-the-counter medications from sites throughout Morris County as compared to 2015.

Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp and Chief of Investigations John R. Speirs announce that

The Prosecutor’s Office partnered with local police departments at four satellite locations in Morris County at which a total of 726 pounds of medications was collected. In contrast, 342 pounds was collected during Operation Take Back-Day in September 2015, 356 pounds in September 2014, and 516 pounds in April 2014.

The following is a list of the locations and amounts collected:
Randolph, Stop and Shop Supermarket, 257 pounds;
Morristown High School, 143 pounds;
Morris Plains, ACME supermarket, 281 pounds;
Mountain Lakes Fire Dept., 45 pounds.

Other police departments across the county also held collections, with a total of 1,365 pounds collected in total in Morris County, according to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration. In comparison, 836 pounds was collected countywide in September 2015.

“The freeholder board congratulates the prosecutor and police departments around Morris County for this important effort to remove these substances and reduce the potential for drug abuse, especially among our young and more vulnerable residents,” said Freeholder Doug Cabana, the county governing board’s liaison to law enforcement.

Operation Take-Back Day, which is a national initiative, encourages individuals to turn in unused or expired prescriptions, controlled substances and over-the-counter medications for safe disposal. Law enforcement officials will dispose of the medications collected in an environmentally safe manner.

The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications.
“I want to thank those citizens and local Police Departments who participated in this worthy cause,” said Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp. “The results are very encouraging and it is my hope that future Operation Take-Back Days will be as successful as this one. Our efforts to educate the public on the need to properly dispose of their unused medication have met with apparent success..

A second Operation Take-Back Day will be scheduled for later this year, date to be set. During the interim, log onto https://safehealthymorris.org/dropbox/ for a list of permanent drop box locations.

Any inquiries regarding Operation Take-Back Day can be directed to Agent Paul Merkler at pmerkler@co.morris.nj.us.