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Austintown gets grant for drug-disposal drop box
By Elise Franco
Austintown
Township police used grant money to turn a quarterly program into a permanent fixture.
Since 2009, Officer Jeff Toth has organized prescription take-backs that allow residents to safely dispose of unwanted medication.
Though Toth said he was happy with the 11 take-backs performed since the program’s inception, he was pushing for something more.
The department was awarded an $800 grant through the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators, which allowed it to buy a permanent prescription drop box in September, Toth said.
“Only 100 departments in the country got a box,” he said. “It was always a long-term goal for me, but before this grant there was never anything available.”
The Newton Falls Police Department also was awarded the grant, according to the NADDI website.
Toth said the box is in the lobby of the Austintown Police Department on Ohltown Road and is available 24 hours per day, seven days per week.
Toth said old, expired and unused prescription and over-the-counter medications are accepted, but residents should take any needles or syringes to the Mahoning County Board of Health for safe disposal.
All medications put in the drop box are logged into evidence by Toth and incinerated twice per year, he said.
“It’s wonderful. ... It provides easier access, and residents don’t have to wait for take-backs,” he said. “It also eliminates overtime for officers working the take-backs.”