On Saturday, Oct. 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office along with the police departments of Boothbay Harbor, Damariscotta, Waldoboro and Wiscasset will host the semi-annual Drug Take Back Day.

This medication disposal event has been offered every spring and fall for over 10 years with a goal to prevent prescription drug misuse and theft. Everyone is invited to bring in expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs for safe disposal, no questions asked. This national event is sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Agency, local law enforcement and community health partners. The service is free and anonymous. Please wear a mask at the disposal sites.

There will be five drop-off locations in Lincoln County: Boothbay Harbor Town Office; LincolnHealth, Miles Campus in Damariscotta; The Whitefield Lions Club in Whitefield; Waldoboro Town Office; and the Wiscasset Police Department

The DEA can accept all unused, unwanted or expired prescription or over-the-counter medications. This includes pills, liquids, ointments and patches. The DEA will also collect vape pens or other e-cigarette devices from individual consumers only after the batteries are removed from the devices. The DEA cannot accept needles, other sharps, syringes, or devices with mercury.

Every spring and fall, hundreds of pounds of prescription drugs are returned to Lincoln County disposal sites. Over the course of the last ten years, the state of Maine has collected over 400,000 pounds of medication at these events, this event will be the 22nd Drug Take Back Day. These high numbers show that Maine is committed to disposing unused medications to reduce misuse, abuse, and accidental overdose.

“Drug Take Back Day is a great opportunity to quickly and discreetly dispose of medications at one of the drop off locations, no questions asked. We hope that our community members will return their expired or unwanted medication to help keep our community safe,” says Kelsey Robinson, Director at Healthy Lincoln County.

For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the Take Back Day event, go to the DEA Diversion website or call the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office at 207-882-7332.