[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 145 (Tuesday, August 10, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E887-E888]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  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.

[[Page E888]]

  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.

                          ____________________