Baylor Police Department Begins National Drug Take-Back Day Today
Media Contact: Tonya Hudson, Baylor University Media and Public Relations, 254-710-3321
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WACO, Texas (Oct. 21, 2020) —The Baylor University Police Department (BUPD) will collect old and expired prescription drugs as part of a National Take-Back Day Saturday, Oct. 24. Although the official collection day is on Saturday, BUPD will begin accepting prescription drugs today, Oct. 21.
The Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) National Take-Back Day is a safe, convenient and responsible way to dispose of unused or expired prescription drugs. The take-back day will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today through Saturday at BUPD in the Speight Avenue Parking Garage, 1521 S. Fourth St.
"In the past, one of the options was to bury your prescription medications, and some people would even flush them down the toilet," said BUPD Crime Prevention Specialist Scott Curry. "Either way, these medications get into the runoff and wastewater systems and contaminates freshwater sources."
To decrease the environmental impact that prescription drugs, BUPD allows anyone from the Waco community to dispose of their unused medications during this week every semester. Last October, BUPD collected approximately 100 pounds of old prescription medications and plans on topping that number this year.
The drug take-back week's goal is to make proper disposal of old prescription medications convenient for the community. BUPD works alongside the Beauchamp Addiction Recovery Center (BARC) to encourage people to bring unused prescription medications to lower substance abuse risks.
According to the DEA website, in October 2019, out of 6174 collection sites across the nation, California led the nation with 1,084,033 pounds collected, with Texas in second with 985,110 pounds. The total weight of prescription drugs collected across the country was 12,699,456 pounds.
The prescription drugs will be collected in a locked box by BUPD and delivered to the DEA to be safely incinerated.
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 17,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 90 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.