Keeping groundwater safe and free from prescription drugs is the purpose of the upcoming Drug Take Back, sponsored by the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office and the Lawrence-Scioto Solid Waste Management District.

The event will be from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at the Ironton Hills Plaza.

“I am glad we can offer this to residents of our county because this affords them the opportunity to do what is right,” Dan Palmer, district coordinator, said.

Residents can bring all their outdated medications and sharps to the event where they will be appropriately disposed. Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital is providing the containers for the sharps as well as their disposal.

“Please do not flush these medications as they enter our water source,” Palmer said. “We are finding more and more people are doing the right thing. Tests have been done by the EPA and they have tested the water in our rivers. We were going forward, but it looks as if we are going back after some of the tests of what they have found in the water.”

The event was started in 2007 as a collaboration between the sheriff and the district.

“We work together every year,” Palmer said.

Last year the event had a record attendance with 67 vehicles bringing in 136 pounds of pills, 75 pounds of sharps and 65 pounds of liquid medications.

“It has been a great success since we began this,” Lawrence County Sheriff Jeff Lawless said. “It is beneficial for keeping drugs off our streets and out of our waterways.”

Those who miss this event can dispose of these items at the Hazardous Household Waste Day from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24 at Dow Chemical. Medications can also be disposed of in the container in the lobby of the sheriff’s office.