Crime & Safety

Police: Get Rid of Your Unwanted Medications Safely

Operation Medicine Cabinet collects pills for proper disposal, keeping them out of hands of abusers and protecting the environment.

If you have unwanted or out-of-date prescription medications at home but don't know what to do with them, you can safely get rid of the pills on Saturday during the latest installment of Operation Medicine Cabinet.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, unwanted medications can be dropped off at two locations in Rockland County:

- The Rockland County Sheriff's Department Headquarters, 55 New Hempstead Road, New City.

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- South Nyack - Grand View Police Department, South Nyack Village Hall, 282 S. Broadway, South Nyack.

Prescription medications are accepted "no questions asked" during Operation Medicine Cabinet, and the drugs go into a stockpile that is periodically shipped to a state-approved incinerator in Dutchess County for destruction. 

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The program is run by the Sheriff's Department in conjunction with the Rockland County District Attorney's Office and local police departments. The goal of the program is to prevent old medications kept at home from getting into the hands of young people or others who would abuse the drugs or sell them to drug abusers.

Additionally, the program is also designed to ensure prescription drugs are safely disposed of, avoiding pollution to local water supplies.

Police, however, warn that the Operation Medince Cabinet drug drop off days are not geared to accept other dangerous materials, such as household hazardous wastes. Only medications are accepted for disposal in this program.


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