If you’ve got prescription drugs in your house and you want to safely get rid of them, the City of Bridgeport will be taking part in a nationwide event this Saturday. City Clerk Andrea Kerr said that the Bridgeport Police Department Parking lot will again be the site of the “Drug Take-Back” event.

 

It’s part of the DEA’s national Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.

 

“Typically, the DEA releases a date for this national event and it just so happens it’s this Saturday. As we’ve done in the past, we’ll have an event that coordinates with the national event,” said Kerr.

 

Individuals can take their prescription drugs to the parking lot, which is situated at the Bridgeport Municipal Complex on Main Street, and get rid of them without throwing them into the garbage or flushing down the toilet. The disposal Saturday provides a safe alternative.

 

The event will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

 

Kerr reminds the community that the weekend event is not the only chance the community has to remove prescription drugs that aren’t needed, outdated or no longer serve a purpose for whatever reason. She said the city accepts the prescription drugs during regular business hours.

“We have a year-round, Monday through Friday, tack-back box at city hall that sees a decent amount of use,” said Kerr. “The box is located next to the entrance to the police office near the front of the city building. We take those prescriptions and safely send them away for disposal.”

 

So why the need for the “take-back day” if the city already has a daily place to dispose of the drugs?

 

“Some people may not know the box is there and there are likely a lot of people that can’t make it to the city building during those hours,” said Kerr. “This is an added event that provides the community with an additional window of time to dispose of the drugs.”

 

The program began in 2014, but skipped one years in 2015, Kerr said. She said it was brought back by the DEA in 2016.