The City of East Grand Rapids invites community members to properly dispose of unused and expired prescription medications at its Prescription Drug Take Back Day event Saturday, April 22.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., community members can drop off unused and expired prescription medications in the East Grand Rapids Public Safety Department lobby at 770 Lakeside Drive SE. In coordination with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the EGR Public Safety Department is permitted to collect a wide variety of prescription medications, including opioids.
“Spring is the perfect time to clean out your medicine cabinet, nightstand and any other place in your home where unused or expired prescription medications are stored,” East Grand Rapids Public Safety Chief Mark Herald said. “Our Drug Take Back Day event offers residents and community members a secure and anonymous way to properly dispose of these medications. This, in turn, helps keep our community safe by decreasing the chances of misuse and environmental contamination.”
If community members are not able to participate in the April 22 event, the drop box in the East Grand Rapids Public Safety lobby is available for prescription medication disposal 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The department also hosts a Prescription Drug Take Back Day in the fall as part of its annual open house.
“While our drop-off site is available year-round, these biannual Drug Take Back Day events serve as a reminder to regularly clean out your home for potentially harmful medications,” Herald said.
The spring and fall events are part of the DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, with each one typically yielding nearly 200 pounds of medications. Last year, East Grand Rapids was one of 245 law enforcement collection sites in the state. The EGR Public Safety Department collected nearly 2,000 pounds – or 9.35% – of the state’s total collected weight of 21,389 pounds. Since 2018, the department has collected more than 6,000 pounds of medication, placing it in the top 1% of collection sites nationwide.