HEYBURN, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — It’s important to dispose of your prescription drugs properly and not just throw them away. KMVT spoke with local law enforcement on National Prescription Drug Take Back Day to get details on this year’s community engagement with the event and how improper disposal can affect our environment.

“A lot of people don’t realize the dangers they have when they have surgery and have unused medication — if they don’t have a home safe,” Charles Cox said.

Charles Cox is a lieutenant with the Hailey Police Department. He says the department collected just over seven pounds of prescription drugs from the community for National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Cox says that aside from today, police have had a good turnaround over the past year in terms of community involvement in properly disposing of drugs.

“We’re close to 200 pounds of drugs this year alone,” Cox said.

According to the South Central Public Health District, in 2023, more than 2.5 million controlled substance prescriptions were dispensed in Idaho. And when the medicine is left to sit in a cupboard, or is thrown away or washed away, it can become a danger to animals, the environment and people.

“In the past, we’ve had people take these medications and unfortunately flush them down the toilet, not realizing it’s a potential contamination of our water treatment plants,” Ryan Bertalotto said.

Ryan Bertalotto is the Chief of the Heyburn Police Department. He says this is the second year his department has participated in the event.

“We want to encourage this event, even though it’s in Heyburn, we’re still part of the central Mini-Cassia community, so if you live in Burley, if you live in Declo, Rupert, Paul, you’re still welcome to come and drop off these drugs” , said Bertalotto.

Other transfers that are available this weekend and throughout the year include the Jerome County Sheriff’s Office, the Gooding Sheriff’s Office and the Kimberly Police Department. Once the substances are collected, law enforcement weighs everything and then sends them to the Drug Enforcement Administration in Jerome.

“We mail them back to the DEA and they dispose of them properly, usually through incineration and other processes,” Cox said.

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