NORTH HAVEN — If your medicine cabinet is full of expired pills and old prescriptions, Saturday is a good day to clear it out. The town is collecting unwanted medications at a drive-through Drug Take Back on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at North Haven Fire Headquarters, 11 Broadway.
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The collection is part of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take Back, which the town and the DEA host together every April and October. It’s free and anonymous, and the town says no questions are asked. You don’t have to live in North Haven to use it. “No, residents from all towns are welcome!” the Community Services page says.
The town says the event is meant to prevent pill abuse and theft by getting expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs out of people’s homes.
How the drive-through works
- Pull down the Fire Headquarters driveway and drive around to the back of the building.
- Stay in your car. Staff will meet you and take the medications through your window.
- Leave pills in their original containers if you can. Cross out the patient’s name with a black marker for privacy, but leave the name of the medication showing.
What you can bring
- Prescription medications
- Vapes and e-cigarettes, including devices like JUUL, with the batteries removed. The town says these are “encouraged and accepted.”
What they won’t take
According to the town’s list, these items are not accepted:
- Syringes, hypodermic needles or other sharps
- Mercury thermometers
- Bloody or infectious waste
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Non-prescription ointments and lotions
- Iodine-containing medications
- Aerosol cans
- Inhalers
- Medications from clinics or businesses
- Illegal drugs or substances, including marijuana, which the town notes is still a Schedule I drug under federal law
Needles and sharps
Sharps can’t go to the take back, but they can go out with the trash if they’re packed correctly. The town says to put used needles in a hard plastic container, such as a laundry detergent bottle, and label it “Sharps Waste” and “Do Not Recycle.” In Connecticut, once the container is three-quarters full and the lid is taped shut, it can go in your curbside trash. Loose needles should never be recycled, thrown in the trash or flushed. The North Haven Fire Department has a short video on safe syringe disposal linked from the town’s take back page.
Can’t make it Saturday?
- Use the police drop box. The North Haven Police Department keeps a medication drop box in its lobby at 8 Linsley St. It’s open year-round during lobby hours, with no appointment needed, according to the department.
- Throw it out at home the safe way. The town says to mix uncrushed capsules with soapy water or coffee grounds, seal the mix in a plastic bag and put it in the household trash.
- Don’t flush. The town warns that flushing medications can harm the environment.
The collections add up. Citing the state Department of Consumer Protection, the town says Connecticut residents discarded more than 65,000 pounds of unwanted medications in 2024.
Questions about Saturday’s event can go to Carla Picard in North Haven Community Services at 203-239-5321, ext. 8504.
Sources: Town of North Haven, “Medication Takeback This Saturday – October 24th” (posted Oct. 19, 2026, with the DEA event poster) and the Community Services DEA Take Back page; North Haven Police Department community resources.
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