Daniel J. Kov, dkov@thedailyjournal.com3:51 p.m. EDT March 24, 2015

BUENA VISTA – It looks like a mailbox, but don’t dare put your letters in it.

Township officials want residents’ unwanted and expired prescription drugs, and they’re asking to have it placed inside a new mailbox-shaped drop box at township hall.

Officials on Tuesday morning took delivery of the new drop-off bin, declaring it open for all township residents and others in the Western half of Atlantic County.

“The reason why it’s so important is because prescription medicine is a gateway drug to heroin,” Atlantic County Sheriff Frank X. Balles said. “It’s easily accessible to kids. The worse thing that can happen is it falls into the wrong hands of a child.”

Residents are encouraged to dispose of all unwanted or expired pills, capsules, patches and pet medicine in the bin; no mail, liquids, syringes or trash, please.

Drop offs are anonymous, and they take place during Township Hall hours.

The ultimate goal, according to officials, is to stem the tide of drug abuse in the surrounding communities.

Particularly juvenile drug abuse.

Decrying what he said is known as “Skittle parties,” Balles said authorities are trying to put an end to such incidents in which high school and college-aged students steal medicine from their families and abuse them recreationally.

Many kids, Balles said, raid their family medicine cabinets and toss unidentified pills into a giant bowl, and then take turns consuming the drugs indiscriminately.

They call it “Skittle parties,” and it’s not the kind of fun most would recall in post-Halloween social gatherings.

Many kids suffer overdoses, and others who survive tend to develop an addiction to heroin when they aren’t able to obtain more pills, Balles said.

“The more prescription medicine that we can take off the street and dispose of properly — that’s not going into the sewer systems, not going into the septic systems, it gets incarcerated, it’s not going in the landfill and contaminating the Earth — the better.”

Buena Vista Township Mayor Chuck Chairello agreed.

“I’m very proud that we have this box available to our residents and others on the Western part of Atlantic County,” he said. “It’s been a diligent project by councilman (John) Armato.”

The drop boxes were purchased by Join Together Atlantic County (JTAC), a substance abuse prevention coalition through the Partnership for a Drug Free NJ.

The coalition is funded by a Drug Free Communities grant from the Office of National Drug Control Policy and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Wilson said the drop-off bin marks the first such collection box at a governmental complex in Atlantic County.

Only the Atlantic City Police Department and Atlantic County Sheriff’s Department so far have had drug bins for residents.

More than 800 pounds of drugs has already been collected at the sheriff’s department in 2014, Balles said.

“We are thrilled to partner with Buena Vista Township and the Atlantic County Sheriff’s Office,” Dr. Bob Zlotnick, Executive Director of Atlantic Prevention Resources, said. “Sheriff Frank X Balles has done an outstanding job with the Atlantic County Criminal Courthouse location and we look forward to continuing to grow our partnership while we take back the streets from prescription medications.”

Much of the Western part of Atlantic County is policed by the New Jersey State Police, which is why placing the drug bin at the township hall made sense, Wilson said.

Officials had to see approval with the state Drug Enforcement Agency to maintain one in a non-police town.

Disposal boxes are required by the DEA to be monitored by a law enforcement agency.

The bin will be emptied daily, and the drugs are disposed via incinerator by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office.

“Everyone wants to be a perfect parent,” Balles said. “Here is an easy and convenient way to protect your family from accidental overdose or teenage temptations. Take the time to safely dispose of unused or expired medication today.”

For more information, visit www.americanmedicinechest.com or call (609) 909-7214.

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Buena Vista Township City Hall is located at 890 Harding Highway in Buena. Residents can use the drop-off box during Municipal Hall hours of Monday 9-5 p.m., Tuesday 9-7:30 p.m., and Wednesday-Fridays 9-5 p.m. Every second and fourth Mondays are open from 9-10 p.m. It is closed weekends.