Pictured left to right are Commissioner of Public Safety Anthony Gallino, Public Safety Officer Robert Mouradian, Councilwoman Jane Bonner and Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety Peter O’Leary at the Town’s Pharmaceutical Take-Back Event.

Farmingville, NY – Brookhaven Councilwoman Jane Bonner is pleased to announce that the Town’s Second Annual Pharmaceutical Take-Back Event, which was held on October 1 at the Rose Caracappa Senior Center in Mount Sinai, was a great success. Eighty-seven residents attended the event and 15 boxes were filled to the brim with controlled and non-controlled substances and removed for safe and environmentally-friendly disposal

“The Town’s Pharmaceutical Take Back event was an overwhelming success again this year, providing residents with a safe and secure way to dispose of unused or unwanted prescription medication,” said Councilwoman Bonner. “Programs such as this provide a helpful alternative that allows the public to bring unused or expired drugs to a central location for appropriate disposal, effectively keeping them out of our children's hands, our waterways and waste stream.”

Data shows that approximately 6 out of 10 teens agree that prescription drugs are easy to get from their parents’ medicine cabinets. This event encouraged families to clean-out their medicine cabinets of unused and/or expired medications - a simple and effective way to protect our children from prescription drug abuse and our seniors from misuse and mistakes, while helping our environment by keeping dangerous drugs out of our ground water.

Expired or unneeded pharmaceuticals, when flushed down the toilet or drain, can result in contaminated water supplies. Improper disposal affects everyone and children in particular. Even in trace amounts, many drugs have been shown to have negative effects on human and animal cells. The Town’s Take-Back programs and events offer a practical collection methodology aimed at reducing the quantity of unused pharmaceuticals entering the environment and reducing the amount of drugs available for diversion, theft, or accidental poisoning.

Division of Public Information * Office of the Supervisor
One Independence Hill • Farmingville • NY 11738 • Phone (631) 451-6595 • Fax (631) 451-6258