April 30th, 2025
Monroe County Department of Environmental Services Director Mike Garland and Monroe County Sheriff Todd K. Baxter joined Wegmans to promote the proper disposal of pharmaceutical waste as part of a county-wide campaign.
“Unwanted and unused prescription medications pose a real threat to our community.” said DES Director Mike Garland. “Sitting in our cupboards the risk of misuse grows, but improper disposal can also cause harm to our environment. That’s why Monroe County is making it easy for our residents to dispose of pharmaceutical waste safely. Collections at Wegmans locations throughout the county will make these services convenient and accessible to our residents.”
Monroe County is partnering with Wegmans to hold mobile pharmaceutical waste collections. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and local police agencies are assisting at each Wegmans location. Appointments are not required.
“The opioid crisis continues to devastate families and communities across our county and the nation,” said Monroe County Sheriff Todd K. Baxter. “Curbing an epidemic of this proportion requires all of us working together; law enforcement in tandem with our partners in medicine, prevention and recovery. You also have a critical role to play. Mobile pharmaceutical collection sites provide a welcome opportunity for residents to safely dispose of unused or expired medications, keeping them out of the wrong hands and helping us to prevent addiction before it starts. We remain committed to protecting our community, and that begins with proactive efforts like these to reduce access to dangerous drugs. I encourage everyone to take part and make a difference.”
“Our customers frequently ask if we can take back their unwanted medication or if we know how they can safely dispose of it,” said Carl Juliano, Wegmans Rochester pharmacy coordinator. “Holding a Pharmaceutical Waste Collection where the drugs are incinerated allows us to give back to the community and ensures we can help safely remove these potentially harmful medications from homes.”
Three mobile pharmaceutical collection events will be held at Wegmans this spring and summer. All are scheduled from 9 am to 1 pm:
- Saturday May 3 - Mt. Read Wegmans, Greece
- Saturday July 19 - Calkins Rd. Wegmans, Henrietta
- Saturday September 13 - Eastway Wegmans, Rochester
Acceptable items at the sites listed above include pills & liquid medications, prescription medications, over-the-counter medications, empty medicine bottles, ointments & creams, sprays & inhalers, and EpiPens. Sharps and syringes will also be accepted.
There are a number of other ways Monroe County residents can dispose of hazardous materials. Throughout the year, residents may dispose of pharmaceutical waste, as well as sharps and syringes, from 1:00 pm to 6:30 pm Wednesdays and 7:30 am to 1:00 pm. Saturdays at Monroe County/WM ecopark, located at 10 Avion Drive in Chili. For more information, visit: www.monroecounty.gov/ecopark.
In addition to the mobile pharmaceutical collection events, Monroe County is also hosting a series of upcoming mobile household hazardous waste collection events in participating suburbs. Residents drop off up to 30 gallons of chemicals such as paint, automotive fluids, fertilizers, household cleaners and pool chemicals, excluding pharmaceuticals, at no charge.
Appointments are required for all household hazardous waste collections, and may be made by visiting the Monroe County / Waste Management ecopark website at www.monroecounty.gov/ecopark. Any resident of Monroe County is welcome to schedule an appointment to dispose of household hazardous waste at any location.
The household hazardous waste collection schedule is as follows:
- Saturday April 26 - Town of Chili DPW, 200 Beaver Road
- Saturday May 17 - Town of Perinton DPW, 100 Cobbs Lane
- Saturday June 7 - Town of Ogden DPW, 2432 S. Union Street
- Saturday September 20 - Town of Penfield DPW, 1607 Jackson Road
- Saturday October 4 - Town of Greece DPW, 647 Long Pond Road
