Okaloosa County holds drug take back

OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. (WALA) - The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s is inviting residents to take part in an upcoming push to help you dispose of expired, unwanted, or unused prescription medications.

Environmental problems such as water and soil contamination result when people flush their unused medications down the toilet. Studies have shown that 80 percent of the U.S. streams contain small amounts of human medicines.

Sewage systems simply can’t remove these medicines from water which then makes its way into lakes, rivers or oceans. Fish and other aquatic animals have shown adverse effects from medicines in the water, and even very small amounts of medicine have been found in drinking water.

In addition, unused drugs can make their way into the wrong hands. But you can safely get rid of your unwanted medications on Saturday, April 28 between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. by dropping them off at OCSO collection sites at area Wal-marts.

Niceville Wal-Mart: 1196 John Sims Pkwy, Niceville
Destin Wal-Mart: 15017 Emerald Coast Pkwy, Destin
FWB Wal-Mart: 948 Beal Pkwy, Fort Walton Beach
Crestview Wal-Mart: 3351 S. Ferdon Blvd. Crestview

In addition, the public should be aware the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office has a year round program that allows you to drop off your unused or unwanted prescription drugs at the agency’s manned district offices on Monday through Friday during normal business hours.

Homebound residents can also contact deputies to respond to their homes to collect the medications, which are then destroyed.