Free prescription drug disposal day on Saturday

The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office and South Lake Tahoe Police Department will be taking back unwanted prescription drugs on Saturday, September 26 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Lira's Market in Meyers.

Take expired or unused drugs as the disposal site. No sharps will be accepted.

Prescription drug abuse continues to be a problem in the community, and removing unwanted containers of drugs from medicine cabinets will take them out of the hands of abusers.

Children and teens that use these drugs say they get them from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. Dumping drugs down the sink is not safe for the environment.

Returning unwanted medicines to a take-back program like the one Saturday is the safest and most environmentally protective way to dispose of unused medication.

If you cannot make the take-back day, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department has a box in their lobby for disposal. The South Tahoe Drug Free Coalition put that box up and is looking for other locations for additional ones.

South Tahoe Refuse is a California State Permitted medical waste disposal site. Any local residents, from both NV and CA sides of South Lake Tahoe, can drop off their needles (also known as "sharps")in a puncture resistant container with a sealed lid. It is a free service and no names are required. If needle users don't have the approved red medical waste containers they can also use other sturdy plastic containers such as those used for one gallon orange juices. If you don't use the approved red containers, place either a red bio-hazard sticker on the outside or mark an "X" on the outside with a red marking pen.