The Town of North Hempstead was able to safely dispose of 1,400 pounds of unwanted and unused prescription and over-the-counter drugs over the course of six weeks this fall.
Carle Place led the way by collecting a whopping 360 pounds at their Oct. 5 event at Carle Place Middle/High School. Other school district totals were Manhasset: 280 pounds, Herricks: 240 pounds, Port Washington: 200 pounds, Sewanhaka/New Hyde Park: 120 pounds, East Williston: 120 pounds and Great Neck with 80 pounds.
“Our pharmaceutical collection program allows residents to properly dispose of unwanted and expired prescription drugs,” said Town Supervisor John Riordan. “Not only does this help to prevent drug abuse, but it allows us to reduce the amount of pharmaceutical contaminants that may seep into our ground water.”
In 2009, the Town of North Hempstead was the first municipality in Nassau County to host a pharmaceutical collection program. In the past five years, the success of the program has been astronomical, resulting in thousands of pounds of pharmaceuticals being properly disposed of each year.
