The publication is reproduced in full below:
HONORING THE BIG RED BARREL PROJECT
______
HON. ELISSA SLOTKIN
of michigan
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, August 10, 2021
Ms. SLOTKIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the tenth anniversary of the Big Red Barrel Project, founded in Livingston County.
On Good Friday in 2011, two local residents, Joe Carney and Terry Murray, struck up a conversation with then-Under Sheriff Mike Murphy. The three men were attending a biannual DEA drug takeback event and agreed that safe disposal of prescription drugs should happen every day--not just every two years.
What began with that conversation turned into the original Big Red Barrel, a metal dropbox at the Michigan State Police Post in Brighton where folks could safely dispose of their unused medications. Today, there are more than 75 Big Red Barrels all over the state.
In addition to the permanent locations, sponsors have teamed up with the drain commissioner to host several events at local recycling centers where residents can drop off needles in addition to prescription pills.
In its first decade, the Big Red Barrel project has safely disposed of over 20 tons of unused medications. It's lifesaving work, because as that number grows, it means more pills out of the wrong hands and out of municipal water systems.
Michiganders don't admire problems from afar--when they see something that needs fixing, they go out and do it. For ten years, the Big Red Barrel Project has been a perfect example of folks coming together for the common good. I'm proud to recognize it, and I wish this community project the best for the next 10 years to come.
____________________
SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 145
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