Fifth Drug Take-Back Event Collects 1,219 Lbs of Medication
October 3, 2012
Project Rx & DEA Successfully Continue Proper Disposal campaigns
GREENVILLE, SC – October 3, 2012 – Project Rx: A River Remedy, a community-driven medication collection, held its fifth event collecting 1,219 lbs of medication from Upstate residents. The event was held at 18 locations across the Upstate in conjunction with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Drug Take-Back Day.
The numerous Upstate law enforcement agencies involved provided local drop-off points in addition to the three Greenville educational drive-thru sites supported by Project Rx. These three sites collected over 450lbs of medication. The educational community taskforce partners include Bon Secours St. Francis Health System, Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, Greenville Family Partnership, Greenville Technical College, Renewable Water Resources and the DEA.
The collected medication will be disposed of through secure incineration with law enforcement, which is the most environmentally-preferred method. Notables from the collected materials included medications dating back to 1960 and from as far as China. Across the state of South Carolina, 3,539 lbs of medication were collected at 63 sites.
Since the inaugural event in November 2010, the semi-annual medication collection events have yielded a total of 6,756 lbs of medication for safe disposal in the Upstate region.
Project Rx supporting organizations include Carolinas Institute for Community Policing, Greenville County Medical Society, Greenville Journal, The Greenville News, Greenville Water, Indexx, SC Pharmacy Association, Presbyterian College, Upstate Forever, Upstate Parent and Whole Foods Market. These organizations provide donations, monetary or in-kind, to support event promotion and operations, such as advertisements, printing or recycling the #5 plastic pill bottles.
The planning committee thanks all of the volunteers and the members of the community for attending the event. The Project Rx event will continue semi-annually and the next date will be announced in the coming months.
For more information, visit the Project Rx website, http://www.aRiverRemedy.org and be sure to like the organization on www.facebook.com/ariverremedy for future updates.
About Project Rx
A River Remedy
Project Rx: A River Remedy is a local collaboration of community organizations united to help keep our rivers and residents safe from unused medications. Founded in 2010, Project Rx pulls together multiple community resources to hold take-back events semi-annually. As a safe alternative to flushing unwanted medications down the drain, or leaving them at home within the reach of the wrong hands, this program allows Upstate residents to bring prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, vitamins and supplements for a free and anonymous disposal… the perfect remedy for our community.
