Nashua Police To Accept Vaping Devices At Drug Take Back Day

NASHUA, NH — Nashua Police Lt. Robert Page said the city's annual Prescription Drug Take Back Day has been successful each year as the city opens the Department of Public Works garage for an afternoon to accept items — with no questions asked — so they don't wind up in the wrong hands or in the public water supply. He is hoping to have similar success at this year's event on Oct. 26 when it comes to vaping and e-cigarette, which are being collected for the first time.

"With all the problems we're seeing with vaping and e-cigarettes we have a lot of parents who are finding kids with these things and taking them away," he told Patch on Monday. "But then they don't know what to do with them. They don't want to throw them away where someone else can get their hands on them, or dispose of them in a way that causes a fire. So now we are giving the parents a way to take them back."

Page said that while the event is well-attended each October, the department does not have exact numbers because they don't want to intimidate those turning in drugs with a lot of extra counters or uniformed personnel. The goal is to make everyone dropping off narcotics of any kind to feel safe and welcomed.

"There is no interrogation," Page said. "We don't stop anybody or say anything. This is just a way for people to dispose of these drugs so they are not throwing them into the trash or flushing them down the toilet. Studies have shown there is no way to completely filter these drugs from the water supply. Even when the water is cleaned, it is still out there."

The Prescription Drug Take Back Day is a program in coordination with the Drug Enforcement Administration to provide a safe way to turn in expired or undesired drugs. Page said the public day is important because programs to have drop-off locations at pharmacies are not fully functional as of yet, and that some people are less apt to use the confidential drop-off boxes at the police stations. Page said the drop-off box at Nashua Police is secure and available throughout the year for those who are not able to make it to the garage on Stadium Drive on Saturday.

The drop-off center Saturday will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the garage behind the Conway Arena and beside Stellos Stadium, off Riverside Drive. Traffic cones will be set up to direct traffic around the building and into the bay within the garage where the prescription can be disposed.

Dangerous, hazardous or non-compliant items in a collection receptacle or a mail-back package will not be accepted. These includes medical sharps and needles (syringes), and compressed cylinders or aerosols (such as asthma inhalers). Other non-compliant items include iodine-containing medications and mercury-containing thermometers.

Accepting these materials places the collector at risk or cause a dangerous situation. Residents should continue to use any valid methods currently utilized to dispose of those medications and medical implements. Batteries must also be removed from vaping and e-cigarette devices before they will be accepted.

Those with any questions are can ask the officers on site that day.

For more information on the program, go to the DEA Take Back website.

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