For the Tomahawk Leader

ONEIDA COUNTY – The Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, the Rhinelander Police Department, the Minocqua Police Department, and the Three Lakes Police Department, in conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Administration and Wisconsin Department of Justice, are giving the public another opportunity to prevent prescription medication abuse and prescription medication theft by eliminating their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.

The agencies will be accepting medications for disposal on Saturday, Oct. 24 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the following locations:

• Oneida County Landfill, 7450 County Hwy. K, Rhinelander
• Rhinelander Police Department, 201 N. Brown St., Rhinelander
• Minocqua Police Department, 418 E. Chicago Ave., Minocqua
• Three Lakes Police Department, 1795 Erie St., Three Lakes

Prescription (controlled and non-controlled) and over-the-counter medications, ointments, patches, non-aerosol sprays, inhalers, creams, vials and pet medications will be accepted.

Illegal drugs, needles/sharps, aerosol cans, bio-hazardous materials (anything containing a bodily fluid or blood), personal care products (shampoo, soaps, lotions, sunscreens, etc.) and household hazardous waste (paint, pesticides, oil, gas) will not be accepted.

“The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked,” a release from the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office stated.

Participants will be asked to empty their medication bottles into boxes. Blister packages are acceptable without the medication being removed. Liquids, creams, and sprays must be in their original packaging. Liquids without the original packaging will not be accepted.

“The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day goal is to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposal, while also educating the public about the potential for abuse of these medications,” the statement said. “We hope Oneida County citizens will use this opportunity to dispose of unused and unneeded medications.”

For more information, visit www.doseofrealitywi.gov/drug-takeback/.