9-22-10 —    Local residents will have an opportunity to safely dispose of all  their out-dated and unused over-the-counter or prescription medicine  free of charge the first Saturday in October.

    The Wayne County: Clean Your Medicine Cabinet Out Day will be held  on Saturday, October 2 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the parking lot of  the ASPIRE Center, located on Highway 1275.

    All medications brought in that day will be destroyed on-site in the  "Pill Dragon," a mobile incinerator donated to Operation UNITE by the  Kentucky National Guard.

    This event offers a safer, healthier alternative for disposing of  out-dated and unused medications. People often dispose of the  medications by flushing them down the toilet. However, many drugs  flushed down the toilet cannot be removed by the sewer treatment  plant or septic system, and these substances then get into our  drinking water and soil. By "feeding" these medications to "the pill  dragon" local residents are helping protect our drinking water and soil.

    In addition to keeping unused medications out of the water and soil,  disposing of them properly can help keep you and your family safe.

    People who store medications are at greater risk of burglary or  theft, and disposing of them at the Clean Out Your Medicine Cabinet  

Day could decrease that risk for local residents. Also, having old  medications around can present a temptation for youth as more than 90  

percent of teens that try prescription drugs the first time get them from a family members or friend's family member.

    Proper disposal of medications decreases risk of theft and burglary  and makes them inaccessible to teens who might be tempted to try  prescription drugs.

    Not only does Clean Your Medicine Cabinet Out Day provide Wayne  County residents the opportunity to take their out-of-date or unused  medicine in for proper disposal, but Operation UNITE representatives will also show participants ways to keep their medications safe.

    This is a free event and everyone is encouraged to clean out their  medicine cabinets and take advantage of this opportunity. The first  10 people to drop off medications will receive a free lock box.

    Clean Your Medicine Cabinet Out Day is being sponsored by Defensive  Action Against Drugs, Operation UNITE, PRIDE, and the Kentucky  National Guard.

    For more information, call 1-866-678-6483 or check out the following  websites: www.operationunite.org or www.kypride.org. In Wayne County,  call (606) 307-5169 or (606) 340-9362.