JACKSON TWP — The township police department is reporting success for its medical dropbox installed last year.

“We’ve had a lot of drugs deposited in it,” police Chief Terry Seilhamer said. “It’s been beneficial to the community.”

Seilhamer said deposits have mostly been over-the-counter or expired prescription medications.

The county started the Drop Box Program in 2014 as a way to combat prescription drug overdoses and the heroin epidemic the county faces.

Officials said prescription drugs can be a gateway to cheaper, more dangerous drugs like heroin.

Seilhamer said the 50-quart container has overflowed a couple of times recently. The last time it was collected by the District Attorney’s office, about a week and a half ago, it was about one-third full.

“A lot of times, people have expired medications they don’t know what to do with, or maybe a relative becomes deceased and they were on a lot of medication,” Seilhamer said.

The following are accepted for disposal in drop boxes: prescription and over-the-counter solid medications, tablets and capsules, liquid medications in their original containers, prescription patches, medical creams and ointments, vitamins, nasal sprays and pet medicines.

Medical items not accepted include the following: intravenous solutions, injectables, syringes and needles, hydrogen peroxide, compressed cylinders or aerosols, iodine-containing medications, thermometers and alcohol.

The police department has a sharps container for people who wish to safely dispose of syringes and needles. Seilhamer said people can call the department and arrange for a drop-off.

The state Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs said in a 2011 survey that 14 percent of youth surveyed admitted to taking prescription drugs that were not prescribed to them and 18 percent “felt that prescription drugs were not harmful.”

The state also says 13 percent of high-school aged children in Pennsylvania have abused opioid pain relievers, 6 percent have used tranquilizers and 12 percent have taken amphetamines like Adderall and Ritalin.

Seilhamer said with new housing and industry moving into the area, there will be a “natural progression” in overdose cases.

“Opioid abuse is what we see,” Seilhamer said. “People take more than they’re supposed to or they get hooked on it.”

Medication dropboxes in the county can be found at the following locations: Butler City Police Department, Butler County Prison, Butler Township Police Department, Penn Township Police Department, Saxonburg Police Department and Slippery Rock Police Department.