Operation MedSafe & Community Shred Day

All pills and tablets (prescription and over-the-counter) from residents will be accepted. This includes pills, capsules, patches, etc. Businesses cannot dispose of their wastes at this event. We can accept liquids if they are left in their original containers.

Please, no insulin syringes, other sharps or needles, unused preloaded auto-injectors, asthma inhalers, compressed cylinders, other aerosol products, iodine-containing medications, or mercury-containing thermometers. Accepting these materials places law enforcement, the collectors, and employees at the facilities that destroy the substancesat risk of significant harm by puncture, exposure, or explosion.

No, this event is for the disposal of expired and unused prescription and over-the-counter pills and tablets only.

Any New Braunfels resident may participate. Please bring proof of residency (driver’s license, utility bill, etc.).

According to estimates by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, 3-7 percent of all medication goes unused. Pharmacy groups previously recommended flushing medications down the drain. However, recent research shows that wastewater treatment plants may not “treat” these chemicals and they can pass through and into the rivers that supply our cities and towns with drinking water. A better option is to participate in a drop-off event such as Operation MedSafe so these items can be properly disposed of in a controlled manner.

At the event table, New Braunfels Police Department personnel will empty pill bottles into a container. The wastes will be transferred to an approved facility for proper disposal by incineration.

New Braunfels Utilities employee volunteers will remove or scratch out all personal information that may appear on containers (plastic or cardboard) so these can be disposed of through the City’s recycling program.

Keep medications in their original prescription containers. These can be transferred to plastic bags once you reach the drop off site at Operation MedSafe. You can then hand this over to police personnel. It would be prudent to remove or scratch out personal information from bottles or vials, or just let the NBU employee volunteers do it for you.

The event is held in conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Agency’s national take back initiative. As soon as the Drug Enforcement Agency plans on the next national event, we will coordinate with the New Braunfels Police Department to schedule our next local event.

• You can hold on to the wastes for the next event date, as determined by the DEA.
• You can ask your pharmacist if they have a take back program (and ask them how it will be disposed).
• You can throw the wastes in the trash after making it unusable. To do this, mix liquids with absorbents such as kitty litter or coffee grounds; or mix pills with glue and dry before discarding.

Yes, or you may contact your vet to see if they collect them for reuse.

Please call New Braunfels Utilities at 830.629.8400.

• White or Colored Paper
• File Folders
• Transparencies
• Window Envelopes
• Plastic Cards
• Staples
• Paper Clips

Please, no hanging files or other metal objects.