National Drug Take Back Day was April 27, but there is still a way for Indiana residents to dispose of their unwanted prescription medications.
Open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m., every Meijer location contains a kiosk near the pharmacy for customers to drop off their medication year-round for those who missed out on the April 27 opportunity.
“For the local communities it’s a very useful tool. It’s great to see thousands of folks cleaning out their medicine cabinets and donating unwanted and unused prescription drugs,” said Meagan Bonkowski, a Meijer clinical pharmacy specialist for the mid-Michigan region stores.
Committing to the program in 2019, Meijer has collected more than 165 tons of unneeded medications through their participation in the initiative, according to a press release. Just in 2023, Meijer customers returned 90,000 lbs. of unwanted medication.
The medications will be accepted, no questions asked. Items that are not permitted are needles and other sharps, inhalers, mercury thermometers, medications that contain iodine, or illicit drugs. Locations will accept prescription-controlled substances.
According to a 2018 national survey on drug use and health, nearly 10 million Americans misused controlled prescription drugs, a problem, that, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), National Prescription Drug Take Back Day was created to address.
For those who are unable to access their local Meijer, here are the year-round prescription drop-off locations in the Indianapolis area:
- Walgreens, 1545 N. Meridian St.
- Indiana University Health, 1801 N. Senate Blvd. Suite 105
- Veteran’s Affairs Health Center, 1481 W. 10th St.
- The Health and Hospital Corp. of Marion County, 1700 N. Illinois St.
- Riley Hospital for Children, 705 Riley Hospital Dr.
For more information about participating locations city-wide, visit https://www.dea.gov/takebackday#collection-locator. To locate a Meijer pharmacy near you, visit Meijer.com/Pharmacy.
This reporting is made possible by a grant from the Indianapolis African-American Quality of Life Initiative, empowering our community with essential health insights. https://iaaqli.org/
Contact Staff Writer Hanna Rauworth at 317.762.7854 or follow her at @hanna.rauworth
Hanna Rauworth is the Health & Environmental Reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper, where she covers topics at the intersection of public health, environmental issues, and community impact. With a commitment to storytelling that informs and empowers, she strives to highlight the challenges and solutions shaping the well-being of Indianapolis residents.
