Essex County Drug Take Back Day - 2024

Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr., the Essex County Board of County Commissioners, the Essex County Division of Community Health and Family Connections’ ADAPT Coalition are encouraging residents to dispose of their old or unwanted prescription medications during the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration’s Annual Drug Take Back Day, which is Saturday, April 27th. Collection sites are set up at municipal police departments throughout Essex County. Bringing medication to the collection locations is free and anonymous.

“Some of the most dangerous substances in your home are the unused prescription and over the counter medication in your bathroom closet. Youth may sneak pills and use them out of curiosity, but there is a real danger that this could lead to more severe drug abuse,” DiVincenzo said. “Ridding your homes of unused prescription medication and dangerous drugs is a simple and important safety measure we can all take. Using the collections sites ensures your unwanted pills are not used improperly and will be destroyed in an environmentally friendly manner. We encourage the public to join us on Drug Take Back Day,” he added.

“This event reflects our commitment to protect the safety and health of our community and remove the threat of drug abuse and misuse from the home. Removing unused drugs from the house eliminates the temptation of others misusing them,” said Cheryl Ortiz, Special Agent in Charge of the NJ office of the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency.

“This is a great program to combat the drug menace. If you have prescription drugs in your house, there is always the potential of someone else finding it. This enables us to get rid of the drugs before they become dangerous,” Sheriff Armando Fontoura said.

“I am proud to part of this successful partnership that provides a safe and effective way to ensure drugs don’t get into the wrong hands. I encourage residents to participate and not be fearful of this opportunity,” said East Orange Police Chief Phyllis Bindi, who also serves as the Essex County Chiefs of Police Association.

“It’s necessary to understand the importance of disposing of unused medication in the right way. Not only are we saving a life by preventing a dangerous drug reaction but we are removing the drugs from our waste stream,” said Eileen Fishman, Director of the Essex County Office of Community Health.

“Spring is a great time to clean out our medicine cabinets and remove the threat of unused prescription drugs from the home and have them disposed in an environmentally friendly way that does not pollute our water or air,” said Jessica Delgado, Senior Program Manager of ADAPT.

ADAPT, the Essex County Division of Community Health, and the DEA formed partnerships with municipal police departments to serve as collection sites. Although officials urged the public to participate in Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 27th, the permanent collection sites are open year-round so unwanted medications can be safely discarded at the public’s convenience.

The permanent collection locations, which are open year-round, are as follows:

• Belleville Police Department, 152 Washington Avenue, Belleville
• Bloomfield Police Department, 1 Municipal Plaza, Bloomfield
• Caldwell Police Department, 1 Provost Square, Caldwell
• East Orange Police Department, 15 South Munn Avenue, East Orange
• Fairfield Police Department, 230 Fairfield Road, Fairfield
• Glen Ridge Police Department, 3 Herman Street, Glen Ridge
• Irvington Police Department, 1 Civic Square, Irvington
• Livingston Police Department, 333 South Livingston Avenue, Livingston
• Maplewood Police Department, 1618 Springfield Avenue, Maplewood
• Millburn Police Department, 435 Essex Street, Millburn
• Montclair Police, Department, 647 Bloomfield Avenue, Montclair
• Montclair State University Police Department, 1 Normal Avenue, Montclair
• Newark Police Department, 22 Franklin Street, Newark
• North Caldwell Police Department, 136 Gould Avenue, North Caldwell
• Nutley Police Department, 228 Chestnut Street, Nutley
• Orange Police Department, 29 Park Street, Orange
• Roseland Police Department, 15 Harrison Avenue, Roseland
• South Orange Police Department, 201 South Orange Avenue, South Orange
• Verona Police Department, 600 Bloomfield Avenue, Verona
• West Orange Police Department, 60 Main Street, West Orange

The temporary collection locations, which will be open on Saturday, April 22 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., are as follows:

• Essex Fells Police Department, 255 Roseland Ave (Rear of Building), Essex Fells

Residents can dispose of their unused prescription drug medication by placing it in the marked collection sites. Dropping off medication is anonymous and safe. Residents should remove any identifying information from the medication containers, such as their name, address, telephone number and doctor’s name. Medications that are collected are brought to a licensed facility where they are safely disposed.

For additional information, please call 973-323-3566.

ADAPT was created by the New Jersey Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services in 2011, and is comprised of youth, parents, educators, law enforcement officials, substance abuse professionals, faith-based and government representatives, and other concerned citizens. It is managed by FAMILYConnections, a non-profit 501(c)(3) community-based counseling and family service agency with over 35 specialized programs for all ages from infants to seniors. Licensed by New Jersey’s Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services and Department of Children and Families, FAMILYConnections delivers research-based therapeutic services in its offices and on-site in preschools, schools, and directly in the home. For more information about ADAPT, please visit www.essexadapt.org.