CARIBOU – It gives citizens peace of mind, it keeps drugs off the street, and it aids the environment.

Officials at the Caribou Police Department say their prescription drug drop-off program is a win-win situation all around, and they expect to see significant participation when they set up a booth to collect unused prescription medications in Caribou next month.

Police Chief Michael Gahagan said earlier this week the department would staff a booth at Cary Medical Center’s 27th annual Health Fair on Nov. 4 to collect unused prescriptions for future disposal.

“We’ve been doing this sort of thing for almost a year now, and it’s been very successful,” said the chief. “We especially see that success when we conduct the event at a health fair or other such function. People who have unused prescriptions can just drop them off and we’ll take care of it from there.”

Times have changed significantly from the past, when many people simply flushed away leftover drugs. Public health and environmental officials now urge the public to stop the practice after more rivers, streams and even public water supplies began testing positive for trace amounts of pharmaceuticals.

At the same time, officials also caution against keeping potentially dangerous drugs around the house or tossing them with the trash, as it could potentially lead to accidents, abuse or criminal mischief.

Gahagan said police have seen many residents, especially the elderly, become more at ease after dropping off unused medications.

“We know of cases where people have watched the obituaries in the newspaper,” he said. “If they see that a person has died of cancer or that the family is asking for donations to go to a hospice or something like that, they are cases where that family can be targeted. Programs like ours can help keep that from happening.”

Caribou’s program is not limited to drop-offs at certain times; residents can bring leftover drugs to the Police Department at any time of the year.

“We’ve had many people do it that way,” said Gahagan. “We’ll do this for them at any time.”