RX DRIVE-THRU MEDICINE DROP-OFF ON SAT. JULY 25 IN HILLSBOROUGH

HILLSBOROUGH – Take advantage of the next Rx Mission Drive-in/Drop-Off to occur on Saturday, July 25, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the South County Public Works Garage, located at 410 Roycefield Road, Hillsborough 08844. The Rx Mission Drive-in/Drop-Off is a medicine-collection program sponsored by the Somerset County Sheriff's Office, the Somerset County Solid Waste Management Division, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (USDEA). The program will be held in conjunction with Somerset County Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off events. The event will be held rain or shine.

Medication should be in its original packages with the name of the medication visible but any labels with personal information should be removed. Illegal drugs, needles and sharps should not be brought to the drop-off.

"The focus of this ongoing program is to protect the environment and the public by eliminating unwanted, unused and outdated medicine, especially potentially dangerous pharmaceuticals," said Somerset County Sheriff Darrin Russo. “Leftover medicine poses serious safety threats to our health and the environment. When medicine is flushed down the drain or toilet it can contaminate bodies of water, the drinking water and harm wildlife.”

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, most people take prescription medicine responsibly. However, in 2017 an estimated 18 million people (more than 6 % of those 12 years of age and older) have misused medication at least once in the past year. The 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health has shown that an estimated 2 million Americans have misused prescription pain relievers for the first time within the past year, which means people’s initial misuse of medication is occurring approximately 5,480 times per day.

The USDEA reports that prescription drugs including opioids and antidepressants are responsible for more overdose deaths than street drugs such as cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines. Furthermore, many teenagers mistakenly believe that prescription drugs are much safer than illegal drugs and that prescription painkillers are not addictive.

“The statistics for drug misuse are alarming that’s why this program is so important,” said Sheriff Russo. “For nearly 10 years, county residents have shown support for the drop-off program, and our communities are safer because of their efforts."

Residents also can take advantage of the Somerset County Sheriff's Office medicine collection dropbox, 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, no questions asked. The dropbox is located on the lower level of the Somerset County Administration Building at 20 Grove St. in Somerville, near the entrance to the Sheriff's Office.

In Somerset County:

For the convenience of residents, additional dropboxes are located at participating municipalities. The following list shows the locations of municipal medicine dropboxes: Bernards Township Police Department, 1 Collyer Lane, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920, 908-766-1122 (7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. After hours, use the phone in the station house); Bound Brook Police Department lobby, 226 Hamilton St., Bound Brook, NJ 08805, 732-356-0800; Branchburg Police Department, 590 Old York Road at Route 202 North, Branchburg, NJ 08876, 908-526-3830; Franklin Township Police Department, 495 DeMott Lane, Somerset, NJ 08873, 732-873-5533; Hillsborough Township Police Department, 379 S. Branch Rd., Hillsborough NJ 08844, 908-369-4323; and North Plainfield Police Department, 263 Somerset St., North Plainfield, NJ 07060, 908-769-2937; Warren Township Police Department, 44 Mountain Blvd., and Warren, NJ 07059, 908-753-1146; Raritan Borough Police Department, 20 1st St, Raritan, NJ 08869, 908-725-6700

Please note: Liquids and syringes are not accepted at these locations.

For more information about medicine collection in Somerset County, contact Officer Joe Bialy at 908-231-7197 or Captain Steve SanAntonio at 908-231-7168.