Accepted items include prescription and over-the-counter medications, vitamins, drug samples, medications for pets, ointments, and lotions. Things that are not accepted include needles (sharps), thermometers, bloody or infectious waste, hydrogen peroxide, aerosol cans, inhalers and liquids not in their original container.
The Harris County Sheriff's Office is accepting medications at two of its storefronts today: HCSO Aldine at 5202 Aldine Mail Route (77039) and HCSO Northwest Medical at 17117 Cali Drive (77090).
The University of Houston also offers a place to take unwanted medications for disposal today. Pharmacy students are collecting unused, expired and unwanted prescription and over-the-counter medications from 10am to 2pm at the UH Campus Recreation and Wellness Center on Calhoun Road at University Drive.
The Pasadena Police Department is accepting medications today from 10am to 2pm at The Summit, 1838 E. Sam Houston Parkway, near the intersection of the Beltway and Pasadena Boulevard. People can drop off any expired or unwanted medications to have them disposed of safely. In addition, officers from the Auto Theft unit will be on-site to do free VIN etching -- a process that can help reduce the likelihood of a vehicle being stolen. Every vehicle has a unique identification number, called the VIN. When a vehicle has its VIN etched on its windows, thieves would need to replace the glass before selling the vehicle. Doing so would reduce or even eliminate their profit, so criminals are less likely to target a vehicle that has had the procedure done. VIN etching can also increase the odds of the vehicle's recovery if it is stolen. The service is often offered at car dealerships, but usually with a price tag of a few hundred dollars.
Both the medication disposal and the VIN etching are free services that only take a few minutes.
Unwanted drugs are also being accepted by the Rosenberg Police Department today. From 10am to 2pm, you can meet Officer Schnacky and K-9 "Rex" when you bring your expired, unused or unwanted prescription drugs to the Rosenberg Police Department lobby, located at 2120 4th Street.
League City is joining the initiative as well from 10am to 2pm. They are accepting drugs in the parking lot between City Hall and the Civic Center at 400 W. Walker.
And finally, the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office is participating with a drop-off site in the parking lot of the Gus George Law Enforcement Academy, located at the corner of Eugene Heimann Circle and Williams Way Boulevard in Richmond, from 10am to 2pm.
More than 2.8 million pounds -- nearly 1.5 tons -- of prescription medications have been removed from circulation since the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day initiative was launched in 2010. For more information, visit the DEA National Take-Back Day website.
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