KNOXVILLE -- The City of Knoxville and surrounding counties will hold a medication collection event on Saturday, November 12.

The East Tennessee Medications Collection Event will be from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. This is an opportunity for residents to turn in unwanted and outdated prescriptions and over-the-counter medicines so that they can be disposed of properly.

The event will be held at the West Town Mall parking lot on Morrell Road (east side of the mall).

Other counties taking part in the collection are Roane, Blount, Anderson, and Scott counties.

The Knoxville Police Department and members of the Medication Collection program will be on hand to collect and properly dispose of the unwanted medicines. The goal of the unwanted medicines collection is to prevent these pharmaceutical and over the counter products from getting into the water supply - or into the hands of children - and to make sure they are disposed of in a safe, environmentally-friendly manner.

It is part of an ongoing, nationwide effort to reduce the amount of drugs and over the counter products including drugs, fragrances, sunscreen products and nutritional supplements that are entering water systems from either being flushed or poured down drains.

Saturday's event is an outgrowth of a program sponsored by the Knox-Area Medication Program sponsored by the Knoxville Police Department, City of Knoxville and Knox County Solid Waste Offices, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, UT Academy of Student Pharmacists, Knox County Health Department, Hallsdale-Powell Utility District, the Metropolitan Drug Commission, and the Knoxville Utilities Board. Other partners for this event are West Town Mall and Chick-Fil-A.

The partnership had sponsored several highly-successful unwanted medicine collections in recent years. That group has now partnered with the surrounding counties to form the larger East Tennessee Regional Medication Collection Coalition.

In addition to the Knoxville-based groups other members of the coalition include: STAND of Scott County, Roane Anti Drug, Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention of Anderson County, and Blount County Fifth Judicial Drug Task Force.

In Knoxville old medicines can also be brought to the Knoxville Police Department, located at 800 Howard Baker Jr. Avenue, after the event where they can be deposited in a secure collection container located near the information desk for disposal.

The empty plastic containers for the medicines will be recycled if left with event organizers.