ARLINGTON — The Arlington Police Station at 110 E. Third St. will serve as a collection site for old prescriptions that citizens need to dispose of from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Sept. 29.

The Arlington, Everett, Lake Stevens, Lynnwood and Snohomish police departments are all taking part in the Drug Enforcement Agency’s National Drug Take-Back Day that Saturday, to provide locations where unused, expired and unwanted prescription drugs and other medications can be disposed of safety and securely.

Since 2004, unintentional poisoning deaths have outpaced motor vehicle crashes as the number-one cause of unintentional injury deaths in Snohomish County. According to the Centers for Disease Control, drug overdose death rates have more than tripled since 1990, and prescription drug-related deaths have risen five-fold since that time.

“When I was a state trooper in 1974, auto accidents were the leading cause of accidental injuries in this county,” Snohomish County Sheriff John Lovick said. “Today it’s drugs that are hurting our communities.”

“Unintentional poisonings frequently involve prescription drugs, so this voluntary program helps prevent unintentional poisonings among our county’s residents,” said Dr. Gary Goldbaum, the health officer and director of the Snohomish Health District, the county’s public health agency. “The program also protects the public’s safety and health by removing unwanted medicines from household trash and septic systems.”

Since inception in December of 2009, the Snohomish County Partnership for Secure Medicine Disposal has collected more than five tons of prescription medication.