The township is officially collecting expired and unneeded prescriptions in the lobby of the police department.

“The primary purpose of the box is to prevent prescription drug abuse by simply making the drugs unavailable through proper disposal,” Capt. David Paprota previously said. “The box should serve as a great convenience to residents in the disposing of outdated prescription drugs.”

The secured bin, similar to that of a mailbox, has been installed to allow Lacey residents to drop off medications 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There is no paperwork required to drop off medication.

Using the Bin:

• For safety reasons, the Project Medicine Drop boxes can only accept solid medications such as pills, patches, inhalers, and similar objects.
• The boxes cannot accept liquids, medical waste, or syringes. Consumers wishing to dispose of these objects should speak with their doctors or pharmacists to find the safest and best ways to dispose of them.
• It should also be noted that consumers may only dispose of legal prescription or over-the-counter medications. Anyone wishing to dispose of any illicit drug, should follow the normal procedure of reporting it to the police.
• Pet medications can be disposed of in the bin.

For the past year, the Lacey Township Municipal Alliance has pushed for a prescription drop boxas one method to keep drugs out of the hands of people who might misuse or abuse them.

“We won’t solve the problem with the drop box but we hope they bring attention to the issue,” Municipal Alliance Coordinator Heather Scanlon said in September. “We are dedicated to informing and educating the parents.

Marked on the drop box is the state's Division of Consumer Affairs' Project Medicine Drop logo. The initiative builds on the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) National Take Back Day collection, which provides single-day opportunities to drop off unused medications at pre-identified, secure locations.

The Lacey Township Police Department has participated annually in the Take Back Day initiative. The last one-day drop off collected 150 pounds of pills.

Designated officers will track and keep an accounting of the disposed medications, which will be eventually turned over to the DEA to be incinerated. 

Prescription bins are also located at the the Seaside Heights and Toms River police departments. For more locations, click here.