Hennepin County holding first medicine disposal event

Law enforcement officials gather Monday to announce Hennepin County's first medicine disposal event.

The event is aimed at getting people to empty cabinets of old prescription and over-the-counter drugs and bring that medicine in for incineration.

Angie Timmons, a Hennepin County environmental educator, said drugs pose many hazards if they're not discarded correctly.

"What we're really concerned about is when people dispose of unwanted meds by flushing them down the toilet or disposing of them in landfills," Timmons said.

Timmons said the potential is that they can contaminate bodies of water, and with that there's the danger of harming wildlife and ending up in drinking water.

The collection event is scheduled for Saturday in St. Louis Park. Timmons said people can drop medications off anonymously.