Wisconsin Drug Take Back Day collects almost 30 tons of medicine

MADISON, Wis. (WBAY) - Wisconsin’s attorney general says people gave up 59,840 pounds of unwanted medications in the latest Drug Take Back Day on April 30.

That’s nearly 30 tons (29.92 tons) of unused, expired or unneeded medicine that might have ended up in landfills, groundwater, the water supply, or abused by people it wasn’t prescribed for.

Attorney General Josh Kaul says 135 law enforcement agencies participated in the spring Drug Take Back Day. The drugs are boxed and secured for transport to a waste-to-energy plant in Indiana.

If you missed Drug Take Back Day, there are more than 490 permanent drop-off boxes in Wisconsin to collect medication. You can search for one near you on the state Department of Health Services website. Drop-off boxes also accept pet medications and vape/e-cigarette devices (remove the batteries and dispose of them separately).