Arlington, Marysville and Everett residents will be among those throughout Snohomish County to get an extra chance to securely dispose of unwanted medications on Saturday, Oct. 26.

County residents are encouraged to clean out their medicine cabinets and take their unused prescriptions to secure disposal locations, coordinated by the Snohomish County Partnership for Secure Medicine Disposal. All these sites will accept unwanted vitamins, pet medications, over-the-counter medications, inhalers and unopened EpiPens, as well as controlled substances such as painkillers.

“Law enforcement, public health and environmental professionals support take-back programs as the safest and most responsible way to get rid of unwanted and expired medicines that might otherwise harm people or the environment,” said Jonelle Fenton-Wallace, the Snohomish Health District representative on the Snohomish Regional Drug and Gang Task Force.

In addition to twice-yearly drug take-back days, all law enforcement locations in the county take back unwanted medicines, including controlled substances, throughout the year, Mondays through Fridays. Year-round drop-off locations include the NCIS office at Naval Station Everett for those with access, the Washington State Patrol office in Marysville, and the tribal police stations on the Tulalip and Stillaguamish reservations. The year-round countywide drop-off sites have collected more than nine tons of unwanted drugs since 2009.

The Snohomish County Partnership for Secure Medicine Disposal addresses growing community concerns about abuse, accidental poisonings, overdoses and contamination of water from unwanted medications. Year-round programs ensure that residents have ongoing access to safe disposal of unwanted and expired medicines. Partnership members include the Snohomish Health District, Snohomish County and its Sheriff’s office, the Snohomish Regional Drug and Gang Task Force, the Washington State Patrol and all local law enforcement agencies.

The Drug Enforcement Administration National Drug Take-Back Day will run at the following locations and times on Oct. 26:

• The Arlington Police Department at 110 E. Third St. from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• The Marysville Police Department at 1635 Grove St. from 1-3 p.m.

• The Everett Police Department’s North Precinct at 3002 Wetmore Ave. from 8 a.m. to noon.

Other site locations and times are available online at www.takebackyourmeds.org, or by calling 425-388-3199. Year-round locations can be found at www.snohd.org, by searching for “Unwanted Medicine.” For more information on the Snohomish Health District, log onto www.snohd.org.