Do you have expired or unwanted medications?
Each spring and fall you will have an opportunity to safely dispose of any expired or unwanted medications that have been collecting in your medicine cabinet. Healthy Androscoggin, Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments, and other community partners collaborate twice a year to bring this program to the Lewiston and Auburn area.
Next collection will be in the Fall of 2012. Details will be announced when finalized.
The medicine disposal programs are drive-thru operations where residents can simply drive up and safely hand off their medications. Police officers from Lewiston and Auburn Police Departments are on site to supervise the collection. The medication collection events are a part of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Take Back Initiatives.
What to bring:
- Expired or unwanted prescription medications
- Vitamins
- Veterinary medications
- Homeopathic treatments
- Over the counter medicines
**If possible, please bring medicines in their original container!**
What not to bring:
We cannot dispose of mercury thermometers, needles or syringes, or electronic equipment.
Substance Abuse Prevention
This initiative addresses important issues of public safety and public health. Large amounts of unused medicines in the home are dangerous and have been found to be a leading cause of accidental poisonings in the United States. These medicines are also highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse are high in Maine. According to a recent report from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Maine has the highest percentage of residents who seek treatment for addiction to prescription narcotics.
Studies show that a majority of abuse prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. By bringing your unwanted and expired medications to events like these, you are playing a powerful role in the prevention of prescription drug abuse.
To learn more prescription drug abuse prevention tips click here.
If you need more information or have any questions about safe storage or drug disposal, please call us at 795-2120.
Thank you to our partners!
The Lewiston/Auburn Medicine Disposal Days are made possible through a collaboration of many community partners. Organizations that help to coordinate these events include: Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments, Lewiston and Auburn Police Departments, Auburn VIPs, Explorer Post #333, Lewiston and Auburn School Departments, Central Maine Medical Center, St. Mary’s Health System, The Medicine Shoppe, Auburn Fire Department, CMMC College of Nursing, the Lewiston-Auburn Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative, and the Lewiston-Auburn Water Pollution Control Authority.