The township said the box - located at police headquarters - is another an effort to combat substance abuse.
HAMILTON -- Hamilton joined other area municipalities yesterday by unveiling a drop box for residents to discard unwanted prescription drugs.
The box is at police headquarters and and is accessible round the clock, 365 days a year, Mayor Kelly Yaede and Police Chief James Collins said yesterday at a ceremony for the box. Drop offs can be anonymous.
"By preventing easy access to unwanted prescription drugs, our new permanent drop box will be another tool in our continuing efforts to deter substance abuse and encourage healthy lifestyles, particularly for our young people," Yaede said.
The box is located in the main lobby of the Hamilton police department on Whitehorse Mercerville Road.
Yaede said the "Project Medicine Drop" initiative came through a year-long effort by the Hamilton Township Police Department, local and state governments, the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, the Office of the Attorney General and the Hamilton Alliance Against Substance Abuse.
The Hamilton Alliance Against Substance Abuse is a local project which has helped, along with the police department, to bring drug abuse awareness to Hamilton middle schools, Yaede said.
"Every day 40 Americans die from an overdose caused by prescription painkiller abuse according to the U.S. Center of Disease Control," Yaede said. "Overdoses of opioid prescription drugs now kill more people in the U.S. than heroin and cocaine combined."
She said, citing the Office of National Drug Control Policy, every day in America, 2,500 teenagers take a prescription pain reliever for the "purpose of getting high."
"I like to quote stats," Yaede said. "But behind those stats are real individuals."
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Collins said the prescription drugs they collect - pills, patches, inhalers - will be transported to a recycling plant in Camden. An officer will monitor the contents daily.
No liquid, medical wastes or syringes will be accepted, he said.
"The Hamilton Police Division wants our community to be aware of this new resource and encourages residents to use it as a way to help prevent the potential for abuse," Collins said.
He said the way the box is made, there is also no way for people to reach inside and grab drugs out of the box.
Collins encouraged residents to remove the prescription - as it states a person's name and address - before dropping them off but ensured officers would not do anything with the information if left on.
Hamilton has previously participated in the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's National Take Back Initiative which sets aside one day per year to drop off prescription drugs to police. The new program allows for a permanent solution.
Hopewell Township, Lawrence Township, Princeton, West Windsor and Robbinsville also also have permanent drop boxes set up at their police departments.
"People are moving off of these opioids and moving to heroin because they can get it for cheaper," Yaede said. "The municipal government cannot mandate that residents don't do drugs on a Saturday night. But we can make it harder for them to get (drugs)."
Lindsay Rittenhouse may be reached at lrittenhouse@njadvancemedia.com. Find NJ.com on Facebook.