Girl, 11, Bringing Drug Collection Box to Farmington

Thousands of prescription pills go astray every day – they’re poured down toilets and flushed into the Farmington River or swiped from medicine cabinets and sold into the hands of addicts. But soon there will be a place to safely dispose of unwanted prescription drugs, thanks to 11-year-old Julianna Tyner.

The Farmington girl, who will attend Irving A Robbins Middle School in the fall, became concerned about the need for a way to dispose of unwanted drugs when she learned that male fish had been found laying eggs, in part because of pharmaceuticals contaminating the river. She also knew her grandmother’s aide tossed unwanted pills in the trash or the toilet whenever she changed prescriptions.

So she began working to bring a prescription drug collection box to Farmington, which has been approved by the town and is awaiting funding. Officials expect to install the box in the Farmington Police Department in the fall.

Julianna began petitioning Farmington officials after reading about a drug take-back day the Simsbury Police Department was holding.

She consulted with Simsbury First Selectman Mary Glassman and Simsbury Police Lt. Fred Sifodaskalakis, then approached Farmington Town Manager Kathy Eagen and Police Chief Paul Melanson.

“The purpose of this box is to provide Farmington residents with a safe way to dispose of their unused medication so they aren’t misused and most importantly, to protect our beautiful river and the fish that live there. This is very important to me because I love animals and the environment,” Julianna wrote.

Initially, Eagen told Julianna the town couldn’t go forward with a box of its own because there simply was no room in the budget to purchase the box, which has an average cost of about $1,200. Julianna has now received $430 in donations and is fundraising for the remainder.

But she didn’t give up. Julianna began her correspondence with Farmington officials in February. By June, she had a ‘yes.’

“We’re excited to do it,” Eagen said recently. “I was really happy to meet with her and she seems like a very motivated and smart kid. We’re going to try to get it started in the fall.”

To work out the details of the box, Julianna worked with Farmington Police Captain Ken Burns and Officer Jason Raines.

Raines accompanied Julianna to a meeting of the Unionville Business Co-op Thursday morning, where she spoke to the group about the importance of the drug collection box and the possibility of local businesses getting involved through donations.

Raines, who is a member of the Capital Area Substance Abuse Council and works on special projects for the town, said a drug collection box is among the council’s priorities for its towns.

“I wouldn’t say it’s an epidemic in Farmington but across the nation it’s one of the up and coming drug trends. This will help us get drugs off the streets safely so they don’t find their way into the wrong hands,” Raines said.

Julianna and the police department have already picked out the box – similar to a secured mailbox, which requires two keys for entry. It will be installed in the Farmington Police Department lobby and overseen by two police officers. Residents will be able to drop off prescriptions anonymously with no questions asked.

“Of all the things I have done, what makes me feel the best is the support from local families and businesses. I have learned so much and have met so many concerned citizens,” Julianna said. “This has been a long and exciting journey for me…. I hope to have a job working for the environment someday.”