Be it empty syringes or just a lingering skunky smell, drug users inevitably leave behind evidence of their activities.

When that evidence is discarded in public places, however, it can become a health risk and provides law enforcement with yet another job in their fight against illegal drugs.

Syringes and needles are among the drug paraphernalia and waste items most commonly reported, often found discarded in parking lots or behind businesses. But other drug-related items are found as well.

“On occasion, we find the paper bindles that held drugs and — it’s more rare — other types of paraphernalia, some of which aren’t as easily recognizable, like an old light bulb with a hole in it for smoking meth, or that sort of thing,” Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry said.

According to Curry, most items, particularly those used to smoke different drugs, are broken into pieces and buried in the landfill. Needles are not so simple.

“While it’s unlikely that any sort of active virus or disease could remain on those needles for a long time outside, it’s possible, so they’re handled very carefully,” Curry said. “They are then disposed of in the same way we would any other potentially hazardous material. They go into a sharps container and are eventually incinerated.”

Whitefish Police Chief Bill Dial said his department’s most common finds are marijuana pipes, but he shared his belief that some amount of the syringes and needles that are discovered are not from drug users, but people who use them for legitimate medical purposes.

“It’s not illegal to have a needle and syringe, because some people are diabetic,” Dial said. “But some people are irresponsible and don’t dispose of them properly.

“We don’t want people flushing drugs down the toilet, because that does get into our water supply,” Dial said.

He pointed out there are prescription drug disposal containers at his department as well as at the Columbia Falls Police Department and the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office.

At the Kalispell Police Department, Patrol Capt. Tim Falkner said, like Dial, that his department is seeing more pipes than other types of paraphernalia or waste, but also commented on the challenges of dealing with syringes and needles.

“Syringes are more common in parking lots, especially at night when they don’t think anybody’s going to be seeing them doing their little deed and tossing it out,” Falkner said.

Falkner also noted the importance of residents reporting such items to law enforcement and not handling the items themselves.

“It’s best if they can give us a call and stand by until we get there,” he said. “We don’t want them to accidentally poke themselves with it, but if they leave it unattended it’s that much more likely a child or someone will come by and pick it up.”

Columbia Falls Police Chief Dave Perry said he and his officers don’t see much drug waste or paraphernalia in the course of their duties.

“We come across a syringe maybe twice a year, more commonly it’s pipes,” Perry said.

He referred back to the prescription drug disposal containers, calling them a huge success, being regularly used by residents without any kind of drive to pull people in.

“We’ve had a good response. People just come in and drop their prescriptions off,” he said.