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Prescription Drop off Location

The Township of Belleville Police Department established a permanent prescription drop off location in the municipal building lobby next to the Police Department. It is located on 152 Washington Avenue, Belleville, NJ and the building is open 24 hours a day - 7 days a week. 

The Project Medicine Drop box is installed indoors, affixed to the floor in a secure area within police department headquarters, in view of law enforcement officers, where members of the public can dispose of their unused medications. The drop boxes accept solid pharmaceuticals such as pills, capsules, patches, inhalers, and pet medications. They cannot accept syringes or liquids.

The New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs developed Project Medicine Drop as an important component of its effort to halt the abuse and diversion of prescription drugs. It allows consumers to dispose of unused and expired medications anonymously, anytime at "prescription drug drop boxes" located within the headquarters of participating police departments. Our location can be found at https://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/meddrop/Pages/Locations.aspx.
 
The Township of Belleville Police Department follows the Standard Operating Procedures as set forth in the US DEA Official regulations for the safe disposal of unused, unwanted, and expired prescription drugs. The Police Department keeps a Project Medicine Drop Custody Log, Transport Log and Destruction log.  Covanta waste facilities partner with “Project Medicine Drop” to destroy the dropped-off medications at no cost to taxpayers or our police department.
 
Consumers are NOT advised to flush unused medications down the drain, or discard them in the trash. Scientists have expressed concerns about the effects of medications being released into the water supply after having been flushed down the toilet or poured down the sink, and the U.S. Geological Survey has found traces of pharmaceuticals in streams in 30 states. Pharmaceuticals end up in our water supply because our bodies release them when we urinate or flush old drugs down the toilet. https://toxics.usgs.gov/pubs/FS-027-02/pdf/FS-027-02.pdf

And the Township of Belleville Police Department participates in the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's “National Take Back” Initiative sponsored in New Jersey by the DEA, Partnership for a Drug Free New Jersey, and Sheriffs' Association of New Jersey. Both programs provide single-day opportunities to drop off unused medications at pre-identified, secure locations.  

The next Prescription Drug Take Back Day is October 29, 2022 – 10AM to 2PM. The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications. National Take Back Day is a safe, convenient, and responsible way to dispose of unused or expired prescription drugs.

More information available:

 
The US Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration “Drugs of Abuse a DEA Guide 2017 Edition” https://www.getsmartaboutdrugs.gov/sites/default/files/DoA_2017Ed_Updated_6.16.17.pdf
 
2019 Drug Enforcement Administration National Drug Threat Assessment https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2020-01/2019-NDTA-final-01-14-2020_Low_Web-DIR-007-20_2019.pdf