Wisconsin Number One for Medicines Surrendered in Spring Drug Take Back Day

Wednesday, June 8th, 2022 -- 12:00 PM

(WBAY) Wisconsin ranked number one in the nation for medicines surrendered in the spring Drug Take Back Day event.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice says Wisconsinites turned in 59,840 pounds, or almost 30 tons (29.92 tons), of expired, unneeded and unwanted prescription medications.

That kept medicine and chemicals out of landfills and groundwater and out of the hands of people who might misuse and abuse them. The drugs are destroyed in an incinerator at a waste-to-energy plant in Indiana.

Drug Take Back Days are held in the spring and fall each year, sponsored by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration. Attorney General Josh Kaul says 135 law enforcement agencies participated in this past Drug Take Back Day on April 30.

There are also 490 drug drop-off boxes around the state where medicines can be safely disposed of any day of the year. You can find one near you on the state’s Dose of Reality website.

Since 2010, people in Wisconsin have turned in 1,039,405 pounds (519.7 tons) of prescription medicine. That’s third-best in the nation, behind California (633.1 tons) and Texas (621.9 tons).

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