Area residents have an opportunity today to safely dispose expired, unused or unwanted prescription drugs. 

The Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office, St. Joseph Police Department, and the St. Joseph Youth Alliance will be taking back unwanted prescription drugs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the East Hills Mall between Sears and Dillard’s. 

According to a news release from the St. Joseph Youth Alliance, the service is free and anonymous. Anyone can bring controlled, non-controlled, over-the-counter substances and sharps but not illicit substances such as marijuana or methamphetamine. 

The Prescription Take Back event is a way for the community to help protect youth from accidental poisoning and limit access to drugs that could be misused or abused. Outdated and unused prescriptions in the home can be more difficult to monitor as closely as those in use, creating dangerous opportunities for youth access. 

“Many people aren’t aware of what constitutes safe or unsafe disposal of prescriptions and don’t consider the dangers that accompany unsafe disposal,” said Robin Hammond, Executive Director of the St. Joseph Youth Alliance. “Beyond providing an avenue for safe prescription disposal, we want to educate the community about the seemingly harmless actions that can actually enable a youth’s substance abuse problem or cause accidental harm.” 

Americans are also now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines — flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash — both pose potential safety and health hazards.