Cortland, NY — The Cortland County Drug Disposal Program, a collaboration between Cortland Prevention Resources, the Rural Health Institute of NY, local law enforcement, and other community partners and volunteers, announces that the Spring 2024 Drug Take Back Event, typically held the last Saturday of April at four locations across Cortland County, has been cancelled. We are reminding the community of the importance of safely disposing of their unused or unneeded medications and are encouraging the public to use the convenient year-round options available at all law enforcement agencies, the ER, and now a growing number of pharmacies in the community.

There are multiple permanent medication disposal kiosks available to local residents, ensuring that residents can dispose of medications safely at any time without waiting for specific event dates.

These include:

These kiosks are strategically placed to offer maximum accessibility and ease for all residents of Cortland County. Flushing unused medicines down the toilet or crushing them and mixing them with coffee grounds or kitty litter to dispose of them was once the preferred method of disposal. Unfortunately, studies have now found that this method of disposal is no longer safe for the environment.

We thank the community for their ongoing cooperation and commitment to keeping our environment safe and healthy. Please take advantage of these permanent drop-off locations to dispose of your medications responsibly. We remain committed to preventing prescription drug misuse and fighting the opioid overdose crisis within our community.

For more information on drug disposal and to learn more about how you can contribute to making our community safer, please visit the Drug and Sharps Disposal Page on our website at healingcortland.org/disposal.