West Hartford residents can safely dispose of unused prescription medications Saturday, Oct. 24, as part of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.

By Mia Jaworski

Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz joined local officials at a press conference outside the West Hartford police station Thursday morning to promote the event and the town’s drive-through medication collection.

The biannual initiative encourages residents to remove unneeded medications from their homes to help prevent misuse, accidental poisoning and opioid addiction. The event also comes ahead of the holiday season, when families and visitors may gather in homes where unused medications are stored.

West Hartford’s collection site will be at Charter Oak International Academy, 425 Oakwood Ave. Residents should enter from Flatbush Avenue. The drive-through collection will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

At the press conference, speakers included West Hartford Deputy Mayor Debra Polun, Assistant Police Chief Lawrence Terra, Roland Harmon, co-president and chief program and administrative officer of the Governor’s Prevention Partnership, and Katie Huang, a Hall High School student and youth speaker for the partnership.

The most recent National Prescription Drug Take Back Day in April involved 79 Connecticut law enforcement agencies and collected 11,824 pounds of unwanted pharmaceuticals at 76 collection sites, according to figures shared at the press conference. Across the program’s history, 224,641 pounds of unused medication have been collected in Connecticut.

Saturday’s drive-through event will accept prescription pills, capsules and caplets.

Needles, sharps, EpiPens, IV bags, patches, gels, tubes and loose liquids will not be accepted.

Terra described the collection process as a one-way drop box designed to securely receive unwanted medications. He joked that residents should be careful not to drop their cellphones into the box because “no one is going to be able to retrieve it.”

The drop-box will be similar to previous drug take-back drop boxes.

Residents were also encouraged to remove identifying labels from medication containers as a general safety precaution. Collected medications will be placed in plastic bags before disposal.

Take Back Day is not the only opportunity for West Hartford residents to dispose of unwanted medications. Terra said the police department accepts medications throughout the year.

“We are always open,” Terra said. “If you wake up at 2 a.m. and want to discard your medication, we are open, come on by and we will help you take care of it.”

Officials also demonstrated two at-home disposal options: Deterra Drug Deactivation Bags, which use materials to deactivate medications so they can be safely discarded in household trash, and a lockable box for storing unwanted medications until disposal.

Huang emphasized the importance of open, judgment-free conversations with young people about substance use and prevention.

“Prevention isn’t about telling people what to do,” Huang said. “It is through having honest conversations without fear and judgment.”

She encouraged parents to check in with their children and listen to their concerns, noting that they do not need to have all the answers to begin a conversation.

For more information about National Prescription Drug Take Back Day resources and other collection sites, visit the DEA’s website.

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