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How to Dispose
Do not flush prescription drugs down
the toilet or drain unless the label or
accompanying patient information
specifically instructs you to do so.
Protecting Our Kids, Community
and Waters from Drugs
To dispose of prescription drugs not
labeled to be flushed, you may be able
to take advantage of community takeback programs or other programs, such
as household hazardous waste collection events and drop boxes at the local
Sheriff’s Office, that collect drugs at a
central location for proper disposal.
Cleveland County
Drug Take-Back Events
September 22, 2012
Burns High School
8:00am-4:00pm
January 5, 2013
If a drug take-back or collection
program is not available:
1. Take your prescription drugs out of
their original containers.
2. Mix drugs with an undesirable substance, such as cat litter or used
coffee grounds.
3. Put the mixture into a disposable
container with a lid, such as an
empty margarine tub, or into a sealable bag.
4. Conceal or remove any personal information, including the Rx number,
on the empty containers by covering it with black permanent marker
or duct tape, or by scratching it off.
5. Place the sealed container with the
mixture, and the empty drug container, in the trash.
www.whitehousedrugpolicy
Cleveland County Health Department
8:00am-4:00pm
March 16, 2013
Crest High School
8:00am-1:00pm
March 18-24, 2013
For more information you may contact:
Tyler McDaniel, Health Educator
Cleveland County Health Department
704-484-5143
[email protected]
When a drug take-back event is not
available, unused or expired medications may be
taken to the Cleveland County
Sheriff’s Office for proper disposal Monday-Friday
from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Residents may also
drop off medications at the Shelby Police Department located on South Lafayette Street 24 hours a
day 7 days a week.
Patrick Center, Kings Mountain
Watch newspaper for day and time
April 20, 2013
Hazardous Household Waste Day
Cleveland County Health Department
9:00am-1:00pm
June 15, 2013
Kings Mountain High School
8:00am-1:00pm
When accidents happen with medicine, call Poison
Help:
1-800-222-1222
Protect our waters

A vast array of pharmaceuticals—
including antibiotics,
anti-convulsants,
mood stabilizers, and
sex hormones—have
been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans,
according to an Associated Press Investigation. (USA Today, 3/11/08)

Unused medications that are flushed
or poured down the drain pollute the
water supply.

Flushed drugs aren't removed in sewage treatment plants or septic tank
systems—they enter the soil, rivers,
streams, and groundwater.


Exposure to drugs found in waterways harm fish and other aquatic life.
Pollution prevention is the best way
to protect and clean up the environment.
Do not flush

Protect our Kids
Poisoning from prescription
medication is a growing problem
in North Carolina.
Since 1999, nearly 4,500 people
have died from prescription drug
poisoning.
Flushing prescription and over-thecounter drugs down the toilet or pouring them down the sink is dangerous for
humans, animals, and the environment.
Do not store

Keeping unused medications creates a
dangerous opportunity for accidental
poisonings or illicit drug use.

More than 70% of prescription drug
abusers say they get the medications
from friends or relatives for free or by
theft.

More than 75% of all unintentional poisonings are by over-the-counter and
prescription medications

Approximately 40% of injuries from
unintentional poisonings occur in children under five years of age.
A better choice

1 in 5 teens has abused prescription
pain medicine.

Lock up the medicines you use now.

1 in 5 teens has abused prescription
stimulants and tranquilizers.

Bring unused or unwanted medications
to one of the locations listed on the
front of this brochure.

1 in 10 teens has abused cough medicine.

Teens think these drugs are safe because they have legitimate uses.
Make sure your kids and grandkids
know that taking them without a prescription is just as dangerous and addictive as
using street
narcotics
and illicit
drugs.

Operation Medicine Drop or the Sheriff’s
Office will take your unwanted drugs
and will dispose of them in a safe nonhazardous manner.

Operation Medicine Drop provides a
way to join the fight against drug
abuse, protect family and pets against
accidental ingestion and help keep our
water clean and safe.

Drop off is anonymous, quick, and easy.