The Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department is putting a spin on the term “drive-through” Saturday, Oct. 27.

For the eighth year in a row, the Health Department is partnering with Muskingum Behavioral Health, Northside Pharmacy, Genesis and the Muskingum County Sheriff’s Office for National Drug Take Back Day.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., anyone can drive through the Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department’s parking lot and drop off medications, over the counter tablets, liquids and needles. The drop-off is anonymous and items given to the health department do not need to be labeled or in original containers.

Any personal information on substance containers will be removed and burned, Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department Public Information Director, Jennifer Hiestand, said.

An assembly line of volunteers with take any dropped off substances and sort them accordingly.

“Bring it and we’ll figure out where it goes,” Muskingum Behavioral Health CEO, Steve Carrel, said.

All pills gathered throughout the day will be given to the Sheriff’s Office and needles will be given to the hospital for disposal.

Each year, the Sheriff’s Office weighs the pills collected. Last year, 168 pounds of controlled substances were collected during the October take back day. An additional 151 pounds came in during the April take back day.

“It’s good because (people) are trying to dispose of them safely,” Heistand said.

Hiestand and Carrel both said the event is a safe way to dispose of substances, so they don’t make it onto the streets or into the hands of someone who doesn’t need them.

“It’s a way of getting controlled substances out of people’s houses,” Carrel said.

Not only is getting the controlled substances out of homes important, Carrel said events like the take back day give people a environmentally friendly way to dispose of their substances instead of flushing them down the toilet.

If the Health Department’s location isn’t convenient, there are other locations throughout Muskingum County and surrounding counties.

The New Concord Police Department will have a drop off location at the police department. The Muskingum County Sheriff’s Office will have an additional location at Riesbeck’s Pick’n Save.

The other locations in Muskingum County are not drive-through locations and will not accept liquids and needles.

Illicit substances, like marijuana or methamphetamine, will not accepted at the Drug Take Back Day.

For additional locations outside of Muskingum County, visit the DEA’s website for a list of locations nearby.