Courtesy photo

More than 200 pounds of prescription and over-the-counter pills were collected during the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office’s recent Pill Take-Back Day.

COUNTY — The Pickens County Sheriff’s Office announced last week that a total of 235 pounds of drugs were collected during a recent Pill Take-Back Day held at three local drop-off sites around the county.

[cointent_lockedcontent]The 235 pounds represents the largest volume of various prescription and over-the-counter drugs since 175 pounds were collected in September. Drop-off sites were the Clemson Free Clinic, Cannon Memorial Hospital and Baptist Easley Hospital. The Clemson Police Department was among those joining the sheriff’s office in sponsoring the event.

Pill Take-Back Day is held for the purpose of encouraging the general public to rid their homes of potentially dangerous, unused and unwanted prescription drugs by turning them over to law enforcement officials for proper disposal.

Sheriff Rick Clark said he is proud of the collaborative efforts of local law enforcement agencies, the Pickens County Coroner’s Office and area health providers “in the partnership to educate our citizens within Pickens County of the dangers associated with the improper disposal of these products.”

“For every pill we collect, there is one less pill that will be flushed into our water and sewer systems,” Clark said. “The environmental impact from these drugs can be potentially devastating to our community without these types of programs.”

Since 2013, 1,708 pounds of medication have been collected through seven National Pill Take-Back Day events. The highest event volume was 390 pounds in April 2015.

The next Pill Take-Back Day will take place sometime this fall.[/cointent_lockedcontent]