CENTERVILLE, IOWA -- Appanoose County is taking a new approach for getting rid of old prescription drugs.
The county has partnered with the Drug Enforcement Agency to join a nationwide take back program. Residents who have expired prescription drugs were encouraged to drop them off at the Appanoose County Law Center Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The drugs will then be taken to a plant in Illinois where it will be carefully burned. All prescription drugs were accepted except for needles.
It's an effort to get prescription drugs out of the hands of the wrong people; such as kids and drug abusers. It's also good for the environment, says Appanoose County Sheriff Gary Anderson.
"They also understand that it is environmentally hazardous when they dump them down the toilet. It gets I the water stream, contaminates water. So this is a safe way to dispose of a lot of those drugs."
Anderson says prescription drug abuse is the second highest drug abuse in the U.S. after marijuana use. Depending on the success of the program, the DEA will decide whether to continue it in the future.
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