The upcoming National Prescription Take Back Day will take place on October 26, 2024, from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) organizes National Prescription Take Back Day on the last Saturday of April and October. During this event, the DEA sponsors collection sites nationwide for the safe disposal of medications. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) encourages all employees and their families to bring any expired, unused, or unwanted medications to designated sites for proper disposal.
The last Take Back Day took place on April 27, 2024, with 4,869 collection sites nationwide collecting a total of 670,136 pounds of medications, or 335 tons. In Kansas, there were 80 collection sites with 7,973 pounds collected.
To prepare for Take Back Day the DEA lists these steps:
- Locate all medications in your household and ensure that they are securely stored (all lids are tightly on bottles, away from the reach of children and pets, etc.);
- Inventory the medications and identify which are unwanted and/or have expired dates;
- Label each of those identified medications with clear signage that indicates disposal; and
- Take them to a collection site between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
You can find a full list of locations, and search for a drop-off near you on the DEA’s website.
