Introducing the Emerson College Medication Disposal Program

Unused or expired medications can pose a risk to our community and the environment. They can also be misused, leading to serious illness, overdose, and even the loss of life.

As part of the Jed Campus Initiative and Foundation (JED), a multi-year program designed to support and enhance the emotional health and well-being of our students, Emerson College, in collaboration with the Rite Aid Foundation, has received and installed a Medical Disposal Drop Box.

This Drop Box will help all community members anonymously dispose of unused, expired, and unwanted prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications in a free, safe, environmentally friendly manner.

Beginning Friday, July 12, this Medication Disposal Drop Box will be accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year in the hallway of 114 Boylston Street, next to the ATM machine. Anyone – students; faculty, staff, or family members; or guests of the College — wishing to responsibly dispose of their unwanted medications can do so safely by placing them into this receptacle.

Medication placed into the Drop Box will not be able to be retrieved. Items are collected twice per year, and the contents will never be inventoried.

The Medication Disposal Drop Box is not to be used for illegal drugs, needles, lotion or liquids, inhalers, aerosol cans, thermometers, or hydrogen peroxide. If you wish to dispose of any of these items, or prefer to drop your items in alternate locations, the City of Boston has a list of citywide medication drop-off sites.

Community members in the Emerson Los Angeles program can find medical drop off locations here.

For more information on medication disposal, along with helpful tips, see the City of Boston “Know Before Your Dispose” site. And if you, or someone you know, needs help, please reach out!

We are thrilled to be one of two colleges in the Boston area to host a drop box in support of a safer and well community.

Sincerely,

Sharon Duffy
Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs