Prescription Drug Collection

Patton Township is one of seven year-round prescription drop-off sites in Centre County. The township accepts unused medications during regular business hours. There are some circumstances during these times that require the box to be locked with no more deposits accepted on that day. Please feel free to call ahead to make sure the box is available.

The Patton Township collection box provides a safe, convenient, responsible, and confidential way to dispose of prescription drugs. The site is part of local law enforcement and community initiative to educate the public about the current opioid addiction crisis and the potential for abuse of medications.

Year-round collection boxes are one way to help keep these medications out of the hands of those inclined to abuse them. An opiate and heroin epidemic is taking lives and devastating families nationwide as well as locally, and it will take a collaborative effort to stop it. That collaborative effort is being realized in the Heroin, Opioid, Prevention, Education (HOPE) Coalition. This initiative aims to prevent and reduce the number of overdoses and overdose-related deaths in Centre County.

Patton Township collects hundreds of pounds of unused and unwanted prescription medications each year at our collection box.

Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are alarmingly high, as are accidental poisonings and overdoses. Studies show that most abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including the home medicine cabinet.

In addition, Americans are advised that the usual methods for disposing of unused medicines-flushing them down the toilet or throw them in the trash-pose potential safety and health hazards.

Residents are encouraged to bring their old or unused prescription medications to Patton Township or any one of the seven MedReturn collection sites in Centre County, which include:

  • Bellefonte Borough Police Department
  • Centre County Sheriff's Office
  • Ferguson Township Police Department
  • Penn State University Police Department
  • State College Police Department
  • Willowbank Office Building

For a full list of medication drop box information and hours, view the Medication Drop Box Information and Hours (PDF). The collected medications are periodically transported to a site where they will be incinerated.

While MedReturn accepts non-opioid over-the-counter medications and vitamins, residents are encouraged to dispose of those by other means-adhering to the FDA guidelines. Those medications may be thrown in the trash, provided they are wrapped in coffee grounds or kitty litter and tightly sealed.

Items Accepted

  • Prescription and over-the-counter solid medications
  • Tablets and capsules
  • Pet medicines

Items Not Accepted

  • Intravenous solutions
  • Injectables, syringes, and needles, (i.e., EpiPens). (These items should be taken to a health care professional's office or to a hospital for proper disposal)
  • Hydrogen peroxide
  • Compressed cylinders or aerosols (e.g., asthma inhalers)
  • Iodine-containing medications
  • Thermometers
  • Alcohol and illicit drugs (e.g., marijuana, heroin, LSD, etc.)

Disposal

Residents are asked to please remove the pills from their bottles and put them in a plastic or paper bag for disposal. The bottles can then be recycled after you remove the label to protect your identity.

For more information on Prescription Drug Collection and a full list of drop boxes and hours, please view the Medication Drop Box Information and Hours (PDF).