Do you have unused, and/or expired medications you’re looking to get rid of at home?

DON’T FLUSH THEM DOWN THE TOILET!

Take them to one of the Lockhart Fire Department’s fire stations instead. Ring the door bell and a firefighter will assist you in getting rid of unwanted medications by providing you with a TakeAway envelope. Then, do the following:

1. Place all unused medications into the envelope provided, including legally held controlled drugs and narcotics (Schedules II, III, IV, and V).
2. Medication should be in their original containers when placed into the TakeAway envelope.
3. Liquids must be placed in a sealed plastic bag (e.g. a zip-locked bag) before being placed inside the envelope. No more than four (4) ounces of liquids can be included in each mailing.
4. Seal the envelope carefully.
5. Take the sealed envelope to a U.S. Post Office or U.S. Postal Service drop box, or simply hand it to your U.S. postal carrier.
6. DO NOT MAIL needles, syringes, lancets, injection pens, chemotherapy waste, batteries, aerosol spray cans, trash, hazardous materials, illegal drugs (marijuana, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine).
7. DO NOT overfill envelope.
8. DO NOT take filled envelope back to your pharmacy.

TakeAway box locations: Lockhart Fire Station No. 1 (201 W Market St.), and Lockhart Fire Station No. 2 (1911 Borchert Dr.)

Since needles and syringes are NOT ACCEPTED in this program, you can still dispose of them properly by:

1. Placing needles and syringes in a hard plastic or metal container with a tightly secured lid. (The container should be labeled “Syringes,” “Sharps,” or “Needles.”)
   1. A laundry-detergent or bleach bottle can serve as a good needle-disposal container.
   2. Be sure it’s not a see-through container.
   3. Label the container “Syringes,” “Sharps,” or “Needles.”
2. Keep the container out of reach of children and pets.
3. When the container is full, seal and reinforce its lid with heavy-duty tape.
4. Dispose of the sealed container in the household trash.
5. DO NOT use containers made of glass, clear plastic, or thin plastics.
6. DO NOT put container in the recycling bin.
7. DO NOT throw loose needles or syringes in your household garbage.

The Lockhart Police Department also has a medication disposal bin available. It's in the lobby of the police headquarters on 214 Bufkin Lane.