Get Rid of Unwanted Rx Drugs Saturday

You can discard potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs in Manhattan Beach on Saturday, Sept. 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Manhattan Beach Police Department, 420 15th Street.

The disposal service is anonymous and free, no questions asked, according to city officials.

Last April during another nationwide collection event, Americans turned in 552,161 pounds—276 tons—of prescription drugs at more than 5,600 sites operated by the Drug Enforcement Administration in partnership with nearly 4,300 state and local law enforcement partners. 

Throughout the year, MB offers an anonymous and free disposal bin in the civic center parking lot. When combined, the collection bin and MBPD’s Spring Take Back event collected nearly 1,600 pounds of medications, which were transferred to the DEA for destruction.  

“This program has been proven to be a successful means of safely disposing unwanted and expired medications and we encourage our community to participate," said MBPD Crime Prevention Officer Stephanie Martin.   

According to Martin, medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to misuse and abuse. She said that the rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.

Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.   

Participants may dispose of medication in its original container or by removing the medications from its container and disposing of them directly into the disposal box.  

If an original container is discarded, city officials ask that you remove any identifying information from the prescription label.  

Illicit substances such as marijuana and methamphetamine and used or new hypodermic needles are not a part of the Take Back program and will not be accepted.