Summit County residents have safely disposed of 1,333 pounds of prescription drugs since spring.Another shipment is ready for transport by the Summit County Sheriff’s Office to Lorain County for incineration, and that new shipment might equal 700 to 1,000 additional pounds, said Bob Hasenyager and Terry Tuttle of the Summit County Health District.Hasenyager said officials are pleased with the local drug drop-off program that was organized last fall and really got under way in April.“We’re getting a steady stream of people dropping off drugs, and we’re very satisfied with what’s happening,” he said.The local Dispose of Unused Medications Properly (DUMP) program relies on 13 locked and secure boxes at Akron, Barberton, Bath, Copley, Fairlawn, Hudson, Macedonia, New Franklin, Richfield, Sagamore Hills, Tallmadge and Twinsburg police departments, plus the sheriff’s training facility in Green.Local volume is holding steady and show no signs of declining, Hasenyager said.Grant money from the Summit-Akron Solid Waste Management Authority will be sufficient to fund the program into mid-2012, he said.The parties involved are expected to meet with local sewer districts to discuss future funding, Hasenyager said.The sewer districts are interested because safe disposal can help boost water quality by eliminating drugs from being flushed or dumped down drains.The boxes are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Addresses and directions are available at www.scphoh.org/environmental/env-dump.html.For information, call 330-926-5659.— Bob Downing