At the second annual Drug Take Back event on Saturday, April 30, the Mercer Island Police Department collected nearly 140 pounds of unused prescription and over-the-counter medications.

The program, sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Administration, was created as a viable solution to the problem of storing unused medications in households. The DEA covers the costs for the transportation and disposal of the collected medicine. Options for disposing of unused medicines in Washington are currently limited. Drop-off services are available at Group Health and some Bartell’s pharmacies, but only prescription (legend drugs) are accepted. Some medications fall into the federal “scheduled drugs” classification, which may only be transferred from the consumer to law enforcement.

Those who used the service at City Hall expressed gratitude for the opportunity to safely rid their medicine cabinets of this type of waste and echoed the need for an ongoing and convenient method of disposal, according to the MIPD.

The program is expected to continue until another permanent solution is in place on a national level.