Local health, law enforcement agencies set

Police and sheriff’s departments in Vilas and Oneida counties will provide a safe, convenient, and anonymous way for the public to dispose of unwanted medications during the fall Drug Take Back Day this Saturday, Oct. 25. Events in both counties will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., aimed at preventing prescription drug abuse and theft by removing expired and unused drugs from homes.

Vilas County

The Vilas County Health Department, in partnership with the Vilas County Youth Coalition, will accept items at the Vilas County Sheriff’s Department lobby.

Accepted items include: needles and syringes; lancets and auto-injectors; infusion sets; capsules and pills; patches, creams, ointments, inhalers, and liquids/vials in their original containers; pet medications; and vape pens with batteries removed. Organizers ask that people not bring non-approved containers full of sharps as those will not be accepted.

Medication deactivation packets and lock bags/boxes will be available for free to the public.

For more information, contact the Vilas County Health Department at 715-479-3657.

Oneida County

In conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Administration and Wisconsin Department of Justice, local law enforcement will accept medications for disposal at the following sites:

— Three Lakes Police Department, 1795 Erie Street, Three Lakes;

— Minocqua Police Department, 418 E. Chicago Avenue, Minocqua;

— Rhinelander Police Department, 201 N. Brown Street, Rhinelander; and

— Oneida County Landfill, 7450 County Highway K, Rhinelander

Accepted items include prescription (controlled and non-controlled) and over-the-counter medications, ointments, patches, non-aerosol sprays, inhalers, creams, vials, and pet medications.

Prohibited items include: Illegal drugs, needles/sharps, aerosol cans, bio-hazardous materials (anything containing a bodily fluid or blood), personal care products (shampoo, soaps, lotions, sunscreens, etc.), and household hazardous waste (paint, pesticides, oil, gas). Sharps will be accepted at the landfill location only.

Participants will be asked to empty their medication bottles into boxes; blister packages are acceptable without medication being removed. Liquids, creams, and non-aerosol sprays must be in their original packaging and will not be accepted otherwise. The service is free and anonymous.

The Human Service Center and the Oneida County Public Health Department have also made lock boxes available at these locations.

For more information, visit doseofrealitywi.gov/drug-takeback.

For questions, contact Officer Devon Gaszak (Minocqua Police Department), Captain Hebein (Oneida County Sheriff’s Office), Chief Lloyd Gauthier (Rhinelander Police Department), or Chief Lea (Three Lakes Police Department).

Additional information is available from the Human Service Center at 715-369-2215 or the Oneida County Health Department at 715-369-6111.