The 2011 Fall Safe & Secure Community Collection Event attracted droves of autos to the Valencia Town Center Saturday to get rid of the old to make room for the new.

In a joint partnership, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the city of Santa Clarita provide a disposal service to those who wish to properly discard old documents and unwanted appliances.

Organizers said one of the event’s many goals is to fight the abuse and improper disposal of household medications.

“We’re finding that people are abusing medication that is expired or left around the house,” said Sgt. Ron Shaffer of the SCV Sheriff’s Station. “Disposing medication in the trash or toilet is not good for the environment. That’s why it’s good to have it securely disposed of here. We’ll dispose of it in a proper fashion.”

Officials were also looking to collect electronic waste items that locals no longer want in their homes.

One participant brought in six printers and an older model CRT monitor.

“I had hard drives, printer cables, parallel cables that you just don’t see anymore,” said David Lutness. “When this came up, I took the opportunity to clean my office and I found printers that were over ten years old.”

The event also gave participants an opportunity to destroy confidential papers, files and nonactive credit cards.

Sheriff’s officials say identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States.

“Working together through programs like this one, we hope to raise awareness of how we can better protect ourselves against identity theft and rid our homes and offices of unwanted clutter at the same time,” said former SCV Sheriff’s Capt. Anthony La Berge.

Sheriff’s personnel and a crew of volunteers processed more than 16,000 pounds of discarded material after the first community disposal day in 2008 and continue to hold the event biannually.