Crime & Safety

Pills, Vitamins Can be Disposed of at Police Department

The Libertyville Police and Fire Departments have teamed up with the Save A Star Drug Awareness Foundation to collect and dispose of unused/unwanted medications.

The Village of Libertyville and the Save A Star Drug Awareness Foundation have established a pill disposal and collection program.

The purpose of this program is to collect and safely dispose of unwanted and unused medications, thus keeping them out of the hands of individuals who might otherwise become victims of prescription drug abuse.

  • Prescription pills are killing more of our youth today than cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and inhalants combined.
  • Teens abuse prescription drugs more than any illicit street drug except marijuana; 70 percent of people who abuse prescription drugs say they get them out of the medicine cabinets of family or friends.
  • Every day, 2,500 teens use prescription drugs for non-medical use for the first time.
  • Propelled by an increase in prescription narcotic overdoses, drug deaths have doubled in the last decade and now outnumber traffic fatalities in the United States.
  • Medications that are disposed of incorrectly pollute the environment and can contaminate the local water supply.

The problem has reached epidemic proportions and threatens the lives of millions of Americans. The , and Save A Star Drug Awareness Foundation have partnered to battle this epidemic.

The pill collection unit has been installed in the Libertyville Police Department, 200 E. Cook St. The following items are acceptable for disposal: prescription medications, including controlled substances; all over-the-counter and pet medications; samples; vitamins; liquids; and creams. Items not acceptable for deposit in the collection unit are: needles/sharps; thermometers; IV bags; bloody waste; and hydrogen peroxide.

The Save A Star Drug Awareness Foundation was founded in Highland Park by David and Gail Katz and their daughter, Melissa Katz Gold, following the death of David and Gail's 25-year-old son and Melissa's brother, Daniel, from an overdose of prescription drug medication in June 2007. The Save A Star Drug Awareness Foundation was created to educate the public about the dangers and consequences of prescription drug abuse and addition, and to provide tangible methods to remove unwanted and unused medications from America's homes.

To make a donation in support of the drug disposal program or if you'd like more information about Save A Star Drug Awareness Foundation, visit the website at www.saveastar.org or call (847) 579-1300 ext. 146.

- The Libertyville Police and Fire Departments provided this information.


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