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 pills and other prescribed controlled substances.

The primary reason for the “Take Back” event is the fact that millions of people misuse prescription drugs — and a majority of those people obtain them from family and friends, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency says, often from a home medicine cabinet.

“Unused or expired prescription medications are a public safety issue,” Powell police wrote in a Facebook post. “Proper disposal of unused drugs saves lives and protects the environment and our overall community.”

National Prescription Drug Take Back Days like these are typically held twice a year, but the spring 2020 event was scrapped amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In October, however, some 4,150 law enforcement agencies across the country partnered with the DEA to collect more than 985,000 pounds of prescription drugs and other materials. A total of 18 agencies participated in Wyoming, collecting more than 2,900 pounds. Since the take back events started in 2010, the DEA says some 27,400 pounds of materials have been collected and destroyed across the state, with nearly 13.7 million pounds safely disposed of around the country.

Though it’s not quite as quick of a process, Powell police can accept prescriptions for disposal all throughout the year.

“People can come down anytime,” said Powell Police Lt. Matt McCaslin. The medications collected are securely stored and disposed of following the biannual take back days.

Drop by the department or call 307-754-2212 for more information.

—By CJ Baker