If you've ever put any unused medicine in a drop box and wondered where it goes, the Erie County Sheriff's Office has an answer.
On Thursday, the Sheriff's Office collected 40 barrels of unwanted prescriptions and over-the-counter meds, and took them to the Covanta Niagara plant in Niagara Falls. The barrels, which weigh more than 2.3 tons, will be burned at the plant.
The drugs were collected from 42 drop-off boxes across Erie County. Some are maintained by the Sheriff's Office, others belong to the Department of Health and local police departments. Since the start of the drop-off program, the Sheriff's Office and health department have destroyed more than 20 tons of unwanted medicine.
Covanta will burn the drugs and generate clean energy for Western New York. The idea is to keep these drugs out of the hands of anyone who might abuse them, as well as keep them out of landfills and the water system.
