Monroe County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo recently joined Monroe County Sheriff Todd K. Baxter and representatives from Wegmans to announce that the County’s Department of Environmental Services (DES) is partnering with Wegmans and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office to hold pharmaceutical waste collections to encourage proper disposal of prescription medications. Unused medications can be subjected to abuse that contributes to the ongoing opioid epidemic.
“Monroe County is proud of our partnership with Wegmans to offer these complementary collections for our residents and their families,” said Dinolfo. “Proper disposal of medication is good for the environment and helps keep harmful substances out of our trash cans and off of our streets. We encourage all residents with leftover prescriptions to dispose of them at one of our many collection points, including Wegmans, the Sheriff’s Department, and our Ecopark, among several others. I thank Wegmans, Sheriff Baxter, and all of our partners for helping us host these collections for the tenth straight year in 2019.”
Wegmans and Monroe County will co-host the following collections:
Saturday, 7/27 – Irondequoit Wegmans (525 Titus Ave, Irondequoit)
Saturday, 9/21 – Latta Road Wegmans (3177 Latta Rd, Greece)
“Being a good partner and making a difference in the communities we serve is a top priority at Wegmans,” said Carl Juliano, Wegmans Pharmacy Resource – Rochester Division. “In our 10th year of partnering with the county on pharmaceutical collections, it’s more important than ever to remove unused prescription drugs from the home; the first step in preventing abuse.”
All collections will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. To date, the partnership between Monroe County and Wegmans has collected almost 27,000 pounds of pharmaceutical waste.
Monroe County is also announcing the following locations as designated collection points:
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Substations
Police Departments in Fairport, East Rochester, Greece, Brighton, Ogden, Brockport, Webster, Irondequoit and Gates
Monroe County Ecopark on Wednesdays from 1:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Residents can access a full schedule by viewing the Ecopark’s website at www.ecoparkmcny.com.
Residents are encouraged not to flush pharmaceuticals down the toilet nor throw them in the trash. Studies have shown that chemicals from the medication seep into the water supply and cause long-term public health consequences.
Waste from pharmacies, veterinary offices and pharmaceutical businesses are not accepted at these waste drop-offs. All medications will be destroyed by an incineration process which is overseen by law enforcement. No appointments are needed.
