The Wahkiakum County Sheriff's Office this week is installing a box in the courthouse to collect old, unused prescription drugs.

County staff will also hold a public event to collect old drugs on April 29, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., in the lobby of the courthouse in Cathlamet.

The installation of the box will allow people to dispose of unused prescriptions without waiting for annual events which the county has held.

"We have been working cooperatively with Health and Human services on getting our drug take back set up on a permanent basis," Undersheriff Gary Howell said Tuesday. "The box should be in place by the end of this week."

Powell said it dosen’t matter if it’s a legal or non-legal drug; one can even bring in expired cough medicine.

“To my knowledge we have never had anybody leave illegal drugs in the box, but we do not check to see what they are dropping off other than to make sure no needles,” he said. “It is totally anonymous; we even have people cover up or remove any identifying information with a black marker.”

The annual collection is held in cooperation with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) which disposes of the old drugs.

"After the drug take back is completed the box will remain available in the courthouse year around," Howell said. "We are also making arrangements for people to be able to dispose of some drugs that have needles attached, which is something we have not been able to offer in the past.

"This is a wonderful resource as it keeps unused drugs from ending up in places like our groundwater, landfills and the environment.

"It also prevents people from having to store or maintain large amounts of unused medication which becomes a safety risk. People can contact the sheriff's office or the health department if they have any questions."