CRANBERRY TWP — The township will participate in a nationwide Prescription Drug Take-Back Day later this month.

The event will be held at the township municipal center rear parking lot from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 27. The drive-thru, drop-off collection program, which was initiated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration eight years ago, will be staffed and coordinated by members of Cranberry Township's own police department.

The drug collection is intended to provide a safe and discrete method for disposing of unwanted medicine of any kind which may have accumulated in a person's home. The Cranberry takeback event is in addition to the drop-off drug collection box in the police department lobby, which is available anytime during normal business hours.

Expired pharmaceuticals lose potency and spoil, which can have unintended effects on a patient, and the event offers a safe way to dispose of them.

Additionally, medicines that enter the sanitary sewer system through toilets or drains create problems for the wastewater treatment industry and the environment.

The process that sewage treatment plants use is not designed to remove most pharmaceuticals. Instead, those drugs enter into waterways and ultimately into drinking water, and their impact on humans is a matter of concern to public health officials.

Most importantly, some prescribed medications can be abused in much the same way as street drugs. They can be stolen, they can be accessed by children from home medicine cabinets, they can poison household pets, and they can become a source of drug abuse and criminal behavior. Medications in the wrong hands can lead to serious addiction, legal and social problems.

No questions will be asked of those bringing items in for disposal and no identification is needed for either type of collection. All collected medicine will be turned over to the DEA for destruction. All forms of medication, including tablets, capsules, pills, liquids and ointments will be accepted. They can be deposited either loose or inside their original containers.

However, sharps and syringes cannot be accepted due to the potential hazards posed by blood-borne pathogens. There is no charge for the drug disposal service.