People who have expired or unused prescription medication can dispose of the medications by taking them to the Wailuku Police Station from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
The collection point at 55 Mahalani St. is part of the fifth National Take Back Initiative.
The service is free and anonymous, with no questions asked. Tablets, capsules and all other solid dosage forms will be accepted for safe and proper disposal.
Unused or expired medicine should be disposed of properly when it is no longer needed for the illness for which it was prescribed because medicine may lose its effectiveness after the expiration date and improper use of prescription drugs can be as dangerous as illegal drug use, according to a news release from the state attorney general's office.
Having unused and expired medicine in the home also increases the risk of accidental poisoning, especially in homes where children or elderly people live, according to the news release.
It says unused or expired medicine should not be thrown in the trash or flushed down the toilet. Proper disposal helps reduce the risk of prescription drugs being used inappropriately, as well as the risk of prescription drugs entering human water supply or potentially harming aquatic life.
The effort is a partnership of the Department of the Attorney General, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Narcotics Enforcement Division of the state Department of Public Safety.
More information is available at www.hawaii.gov/ag, www.justice.gov/dea and www.hawaii.gov/psd.
