The Great Neck Water Pollution Control District recently announced that it will hold its fifth “Shed the Meds” event on Sunday, October 20 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The event will serve as a kickoff to the nationwide Pharmaceutical Take Back Week as the District welcomes residents to its free medication disposal drive-thru.
The biannual event aims to raise awareness of the dangers of flushing medications down the toilet pose to the community’s water supply and environment. Residents are encouraged to drop off expired and unused medications and sharps to District headquarters at 236 East Shore Road via a drive-thru at the Vista Hill traffic light entrance—a process that is efficient and intended to take as little time as possible.
“Now in its fifth installment, the District is excited to welcome back the community in our joint effort to safeguard our local waterways,” said Great Neck Water Pollution Control District Commissioner Patty Katz. “Taking a few minutes out of your Sunday to drop off medications is a simple way to reduce the far too common practice of flushing pharmaceuticals down the toilet.”
Since this event’s inception, the Great Neck Water Pollution Control District has collected over 1,350 pounds of pharmaceutical waste. The community event is hosted in partnership with Reach Out America, the Great Neck Breast Cancer Coalition, North Shore Action, the Nassau County Police Department, Northwell Health and the Great Neck North High School Key Club.
“We look forward to another successful event and speaking to residents about the different ways they can play a proactive role in protecting the environment,” stated Great Neck Water Pollution Control District Commissioner Steve Reiter. “The District asks you to remind your family, friends and neighbors to go through their medicine cabinets and take advantage of this community event so, together, we can preserve the local environment for future generations.”
For additional information and updates about the Great Neck Water Pollution Control District, please visit the website at www.gnwpcd.net or call the office at 516-482-0238.
