A Fife program for disposing of unwanted and expired prescription pills may provide a model for the rest of the county.

Leaders of the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department plan to meet with Fife leaders in the next few weeks to talk about the city’s pill drop-off box, said health department spokeswoman Joby Winans.

Fife installed the box outside the Fife Police Department in January.

Since then, more than 20 pounds of medications have been turned in, said council member Glenn Hull, who spearheaded the project. Police have emptied the green metal container – similar to a mail box – three times. Police seal up a bag containing the drugs, weigh it and ship it off to a company for incineration, Hull said.

“We’re impressed with what they’ve been able to do,” Winans said. “We really do want to meet and learn from them.”

Hull said he’s not aware of any other South Sound cities that have a disposal box for prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications. The health department is seeking a way to collect unwanted prescription drugs to reduce unintentional deaths due to drug poisonings and reduce the risk of polluting the environment, Winans said.

“We want to make sure we get rid of those toxic elements in homes as soon as possible,” Winans said.

Hull said one aim of the Fife program is to prevent drugs from being flushed down toilets and winding up in groundwater runoff and eventually Puget Sound. Other goals are to prevent accidental misuse in homes and keep the drugs from being sold illegally.

“This is a way for families to get rid of pharmaceuticals in a safe manner that they no longer want or need so it doesn’t eventually end up on our streets,” Hull said. “I just thought it was an interesting idea and a way for a small community to make a difference.”

Hull said Dr. Anthony Chen, director of the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, recently contacted him to learn more about Fife’s drop-off box.

Hull learned about the drug disposal program from the best man in his wedding, who is a drugstore pharmacist in Pontiac, Ill. That’s the city where the Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal (P2D2) program originated with the drop-off of prescriptions and medications at local pharmacies. Pharmacists place the items in secure bins. Federally controlled substances must be dropped off at participating police departments in Illinois.

Fife installed a $1,000 drop-off box at the front doors of the city’s Criminal Justice Center, 3737 Pacific Highway E. That way, police could handle both controlled and non-controlled substances.

“We wanted it to be convenient for everyone to use,” Hull said.

Steve Maynard: 253-597-8647 steve.maynard@thenewstribune.com