Westmont, Illinois -- Date Issued: August 16, 2023
The Westmont Police Department will once again participate in the annual National Drug Take Back Day, sponsored by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration. This year’s event will be held on Saturday, October 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be two drop-off locations in Westmont: the Westmont Police Department at 500 N. Cass Avenue, and Mariano’s at 150 W. 63rd Street in Westmont.
The goal of this program is to safely dispose of unused and unwanted drugs to help prevent situations in which prescription drugs are misused as well as prevent drugs from entering the fresh water supply. Following are some of the programs details:
ACCEPTED
- Pills, powders, and patches will be accepted
- Closed red/biohazard sharps boxes that contain needles
NOT ACCEPTED
- Radioactive medicines, liquids, and creams will NOT be accepted
- Inhalers, needles, injectors, or EpiPens will NOT be accepted
The annual Drug Take Back Day also helps with reducing the possibility of substance abuse. According to the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 9.9 million Americans misused controlled prescription drugs. The study shows that a majority of abused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet.
RxBOX PROGRAM
In addition to this annual event, the Village of Westmont participates in an on-going RxBox Program. The program allows residents to place unwanted prescription drugs in the RxBox during business hours. Westmont has two RxBox dropoff locations:
- Westmont Police Department - 500 N. Cass Avenue
- Johanik Fire Station Headquarters - 6015 S. Cass Avenue
The RxBox drop-offs are located in the lobbies of these two facilities and can be accessed during regular business hours. To learn more about how to safely dispose of medicines not accepted at this event, please check out the DuPage County Health Department website.
For more information regarding the National Drug Takeback Day Program, visit the DEA website. For specific information regarding Westmont’s participation in this program, contact IA Angela Whitehead at awhitehead@westmont.il.gov or 630-981-6383.
