DALTON, Mass. — The Select Board accepted a Medication Education and Disposal grant for the Police Department during its meeting last month. 

 

The grant in the amount of $1,300 will help cover the cost of collecting and disposing of unwanted household medicine.  

 

The department has had the unwanted medication dropbox for many years, Police Chief Deanna Strout said in an interview.

 

Following the closing of Casella's incinerator, like many departments in the surrounding areas, Dalton struggled to find a way to dispose of these medications. 

 

"We're getting overwhelmed with the amount that we have because we have nowhere to dispose of them properly," Strout said. 

 

The department used to be able to drive down to Hubbard Avenue in Pittsfield when the dropbox filled but now has to drive out to Covanta in Bristol, Conn., to dispose of the unwanted medication. 

 

The grant covers the cost of the transportation of the medication. 

 

It is important to have a drop-off option for residents because without proper and safe disposal, unwanted medication can end up in the water supply or be placed in the trash where others can get access to them, Strout said.