Drop box for unwanted drugs now available

People with unwanted leftover prescription drugs who don’t want to flush them down the toilet or let them get into the wrong hands now have a place in Columbia Falls to dispose of them.

A secure drop-off box has been installed in City Hall in the hallway about halfway between the city court and police offices. The drop-off box is available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Unwanted pharmaceuticals can be left in their original containers or put into plastic bags. Liquids or needles are not allowed. Used needles can be dropped off at local pharmacies or the Flathead Count landfill, and liquids can be mixed with kitty litter or coffee grounds and disposed of with regular trash.

A similar drop box was installed in the lobby of the Flathead County Justice Center about a year ago. A box also was recently installed in the Whitefish police station lobby.

The WasteNot Project nonprofit group secured grants from the Montana Department of Justice to pay for the new drop boxes. Contamination by pharmaceuticals and personal care products was discovered in 13 of 14 shallow groundwater wells during sampling in 2010 by the Flathead Lake Biological Station.