Somerset County Sheriff Frank J. Provenzano invites county residents to take advantage of the next Rx Mission Drive-in/Drop-Off Saturday, June 20, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Franklin Township Sewerage Authority, located at 70 Commerce Drive in Somerset to safely dispose of unwanted or outdated prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications.

The Rx Mission Drive-in/Drop-Off is a medicine-collection program sponsored by the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office, the Somerset County Solid Waste Management Division and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (USDEA). The program is held in conjunction with all scheduled Somerset County Household Hazardous Waste drop-off events. This is a rain or shine event. 

 “The focus of this ongoing program is to protect the environment and get rid of unwanted, unused and outdated medicine, especially potentially dangerous pharmaceuticals,” said Sheriff Provenzano.

"County residents have shown amazing support of this drop-off program, and our community and loved ones are safer because of their efforts,” he said. “A total of 193 pounds of medicines were properly disposed of at the April drop-off event.”

Medications should be dropped off in their original packages or bottles with personal information such as name and address removed.  The name of the medication should be visible. Illegal drugs, needles or sharps should not be brought to the drop-off.

“Leftover medicines pose serious safety and health threats and also raise environmental concerns when flushed down the drain or toilet because they can contaminate bodies of water, harm wildlife and end up in drinking-water supplies,” said Sheriff Provenzano.

“Prescription-drug abuse is the fastest-growing drug problem in the United States.  Among youth, 7 of the top 10 abused substances are pharmaceuticals,” he said.

The USDEA reports that prescription drugs, including opioids and antidepressants, are responsible for more overdose deaths than street drugs such as cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines. Many teenagers mistakenly believe prescription drugs are "much safer" than illegal drugs and prescription painkillers are not addictive.

Residents also can take advantage of the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office medicine collection drop box, 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, no questions asked. The drop box is located on the lower level of the Somerset County Administration Building at 20 Grove St. in Somerville, near the entrance to the Sheriff’s Office.

For the convenience of residents, additional drop boxes are located at participating municipalities.  Following are municipal 24/7 medicine drop-box locations that are part of the program: Bernards Township Police Department, 1 Collyer Lane, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920-(908) 766-1122; Branchburg Police Department, 590 Old York Road at Route 202 North, Branchburg, NJ 08876-(908) 526-3830; Franklin Township Police Department, 495 Demott Lane, Somerset, NJ 08873-(732) 873-2300; Hillsborough Township Police Department, 379 S. Branch Rd., Hillsborough NJ 08844-(908) 369-4323; and North Plainfield Police Department, 263 Somerset St., North Plainfield, NJ 07060-(908) 769-2937.