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Clean out your medicine cabinet, help clean the environment

DUPAGE COUNTY—Saturday, Sept. 29 is “Prescription Drug Take-Back Day” throughout the United States, and the DuPage County Health Department encourages residents to drop off their unwanted medications at any of 11 DuPage County RxBOX collection sites on Sept. 29 or any other day.

The Health Department has collected more than 8,000 pounds of medications during the first six months of 2012, which is likely to be a record-setting year for the amount of materials collected in DuPage County. RxBOX is a free service offered to DuPage County residents by the Health Department, in partnership with municipal and county law enforcement agencies, to safely remove unwanted medications from homes, as well as contribute to a better environment.

The national “Take-Back” initiative is sponsored by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and local law enforcement agencies to reduce the number of teen-agers that abuse prescription drugs. Studies show that every day approximately 2,500 teens get high for the first time on prescription drugs. A majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including the home medicine cabinet.

Launched by the Health Department in 2009, the RxBOX program collects medications that otherwise might have been flushed down the drain or placed in the garbage. The materials are removed periodically from the RxBOX locations and safely incinerated by a contractor provided by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency using state-of-the-art technology.

Residents who are clearing out their medicine cabinets can dispose of their old medications at any of the following RxBOX locations:

• Addison Police Department, 3 Friendship Plaza, Addison, IL 60101

• Bloomingdale Police Department, 2015 Bloomingdale Road, Bloomingdale, IL 60108

• Burr Ridge Police Department, 7660 S. County Line Rd # 1, Burr Ridge, IL 60527

• Carol Stream Police Department, 500 N. Gary Ave., Carol Stream, IL 60188

• DuPage County Sheriff, 501 N. County Farm Road, Wheaton, IL 60187

• Glendale Heights Police Department, 300 Civic Plaza, Glendale Heights, IL 60139

• Lemont Police Department, 416 Main St., Lemont, IL 60439

• Lisle Police Department, 5040 Lincoln Ave., Lisle, IL 60532

• Oak Brook Police Department, 1200 Oak Brook Road, Oak Brook, IL 60521

• Schaumburg Police Department, 1000 W. Schaumburg Road, Schaumburg, IL 60194

• Wood Dale Police Department, 404 N. Wood Dale Road, Wood Dale, IL 60191

The DuPage County Sheriff's office is holding its Safety Saturday on Oct. 6, 2012, at the DuPage County Fairgrounds and County residents are invited to drop off medications at the Fairgrounds from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For more information on the DuPage County Health Department, follow us on Twitter @DuPageHD or become a fan on Facebook.

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