Powell police are encouraging community members to dispose of their leftover prescription medications on Saturday.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., residents can simply walk into the police department at 250 N. Clark St. and drop off their unused pills and other prescribed drugs.

Police will accept unwanted medications at any time, but Saturday’s biannual “National Take Back Day” event offers a quicker process.

“We are still staying strong with people that come in on a daily basis to drop off their unused, unwanted meds,” said Powell Police Lt. Matt McCaslin, “but these two days a year, when we do the National Drug Take Back, that is just a good reminder.”

McCaslin said a number of people typically come in on the dedicated days, estimating that roughly 1,000 pounds of medications have been taken back at the Powell Police Department over the past decade. After being collected, the drugs are incinerated, which is believed to be a more environmentally friendly disposal method than throwing drugs in the trash or putting them down the drain.

The primary motivation for the “Take Back” events is to prevent people from misusing prescription drugs, as people who abuse painkillers and other medications often obtain them from a family member’s or friend’s medicine cabinet, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency says.

In April, Powell police were among some 4,425 law enforcement agencies across the country who partnered with the DEA to collect more than 420 tons of prescription drugs and other materials. A total of 19 agencies participated in Wyoming, collecting more than 1,200 pounds. Since the take back events started in 2010, the DEA says some 28,650 pounds of materials have been collected and destroyed across the state. More than 14.5 million pounds have been safely disposed of around the country.

Call Powell police at 307-754-2212 for more information about the local event.