PORT ANGELES — A special Drug Take Back Day will offer Clallam residents a place for getting rid of potentially dangerous, expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
Drugs can be taken to the main parking lot of the Clallam County Courthouse at 223 E. Fourth St., as the Port Angeles Police Department and Clallam County Sheriff’s Office will participate in the free National Drug Take Back Day.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office will not participate in Saturday’s event, as it collects prescription medication during normal business hours year-round, Sheriff Joe Nole said.
Collection site
People can bring controlled and non-controlled prescription drugs, as well as over-the-counter medications, to the Clallam County Courthouse collection site.
Intravenous solutions, injectibles, syringes and medical waste will not be accepted because of potential hazards posed by blood-borne pathogens.
The event is anonymous, and no identification is required to participate.
The idea is to keep unused or expired drugs out of the wrong hands and protect the environment from improper disposal, Clallam County Sheriff’s Office Project Coordinator Jim Borte has said.
Pills and other medication collected at take-back sites are destroyed by law enforcement in an Environmental Protection Agency-approved incinerator in Eastern Washington, Borte said.
Year-round opportunities
Opportunities for disposal of unwanted prescription drugs are available year-round.
Unwanted prescription medication can be taken to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office at 79 Elkins Road in Port Hadlock between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.
Likewise, the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office and Sequim Police Department collect unwanted medication in secure drop boxes in their lobbies during normal business hours.
The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office, which operates a shared drug-take-back program with Port Angeles police, is located in the main floor of the courthouse. The office is open weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Sequim police
The Sequim Police Department at 609 W. Washington St., Suite 16, is open weekdays between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Residents also can dispose of unused medications, with the exception of controlled substances and liquids, at Jim’s Pharmacy, 424 E. Second St. in Port Angeles, during regular store hours from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays.
For more information, phone 360-417-2385.