National Prescription Drug Take-Back Days: What to Expect

Every year, millions of unused or expired prescription drugs sit in bathroom cabinets, kitchen drawers, and medicine chests across the U.S. Many people don’t know what to do with them-flushing them down the toilet, tossing them in the trash, or just leaving them there. But here’s the truth: prescription drug take-back days are one of the safest, simplest ways to get rid of those pills for good.

What Happens on Take-Back Day?

National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day happens twice a year-once in April and once in October. On the last Saturday of those months, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time, law enforcement agencies across the country open their doors to collect unwanted medications. You don’t need an appointment. You don’t need to show ID. You don’t even need to explain why you’re dropping them off. Just bring your unused, expired, or extra pills, patches, or capsules, and hand them over.

The DEA runs the program with help from nearly 4,500 local police departments, hospitals, pharmacies, and clinics. In April 2025 alone, Americans dropped off over 620,000 pounds of medications. That’s more than 310 tons of pills that won’t end up in a teenager’s medicine cabinet, a pet’s bowl, or a river.

What Can You Bring?

Not everything goes in the collection bin. Here’s what’s accepted:

• Pills and tablets (painkillers, antidepressants, blood pressure meds, etc.)
• Capsules and lozenges
• Transdermal patches (like fentanyl or nicotine patches-leave them in their original packaging)
• Liquid medications (like cough syrup), but only if they’re sealed in their original bottles
• Vials and blister packs

Here’s what you can’t bring:

• Needles, syringes, or sharps (those go in a medical waste container)
• Illicit drugs (cocaine, heroin, meth)
• Over-the-counter meds (like ibuprofen or allergy pills)
• Chemotherapy drugs
• Medical devices (inhalers, glucose monitors)

If you’re unsure, check the DEA’s website or call your local collection site ahead of time. Most sites have signs posted with clear examples of what’s allowed.

Why This Matters

You might think, “It’s just a few old pills. Who cares?” But here’s what happens when those pills stay around:

• Over 8 million Americans aged 12 and older misuse prescription painkillers every year.
• More than half of those who misuse them get them from friends or family-often from medicine cabinets.
• Improper disposal contaminates water supplies and harms wildlife.
• Children and pets accidentally ingest leftover meds-over 60,000 emergency room visits each year are due to this.

Take-Back Day isn’t just about cleaning out your cabinet. It’s about breaking the chain of misuse before it starts. The DEA says since 2010, the program has collected nearly 10 million pounds of unused medications. That’s 10 million chances to prevent an overdose, a bad decision, or a tragic accident.

Where to Find a Collection Site

There are thousands of drop-off locations. Most are easy to find:

• Local police stations
• Fire departments
• Hospital pharmacies (like University Hospitals in Ohio)
• Big retail pharmacies (CVS and Walgreens often host them)
• Some community centers and government buildings

You can search for your nearest site on takebackday.dea.gov or use the free “Dispose My Meds” app. The site lets you filter by zip code and shows you exact addresses, hours, and what’s accepted. Pro tip: Don’t wait until the day before. Some sites fill up early, especially in busy cities.

What If You Miss the Day?

Take-Back Day is the biggest event of the year, but it’s not the only option. There are over 14,000 permanent drug disposal kiosks across the country-mostly in pharmacies and hospitals. Walgreens and CVS have installed them in over 1,200 locations as of August 2025. These kiosks are locked, secure, and available 24/7. You can drop off your meds any day, any time.

Some states also run year-round programs. Check your state’s health department website. In South Carolina, for example, over 80 permanent drop boxes are available. If you live in a rural area, the DEA is now sending mobile collection units to towns more than 25 miles from a fixed site. These vans roll in twice a year, just like the big events.

What Happens to the Medications After You Drop Them Off?

Once you hand over your pills, they’re not coming back. Law enforcement officers lock them in secure containers and transport them to licensed disposal facilities. The drugs are incinerated under strict environmental controls-no landfill, no flushing, no recycling. The process meets federal standards set by the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010. It’s the only method approved by the DEA that guarantees the drugs won’t be recovered or reused.

Some people worry that incineration is bad for the environment. But the DEA says the emissions are tightly regulated and far safer than letting those drugs leach into groundwater or be dug out of trash by scavengers.

What People Are Saying

Reddit threads and local health surveys show most people who use the service are glad they did. One user on r/addiction wrote: “Dropped off my mom’s unused opioids at the police station-no questions asked, took 2 minutes, and I know they won’t end up in a teen’s hands.”

Common feedback:

• 92% of users appreciate the no-questions-asked policy
• 78% say the locations were convenient
• 65% learned something new about safe disposal

But complaints exist too. Nearly half of those who didn’t participate said they didn’t know about the event until after it was over. Others said the nearest site was too far, especially in rural areas. That’s why the DEA is expanding mobile units and pushing for permanent kiosks in more pharmacies.

How to Prepare

Before you head out:

1. Go through your medicine cabinet. Look for expired, discontinued, or unused meds.
2. Keep pills in their original bottles if possible. It helps staff identify them.
3. Remove personal info from labels, but don’t throw out the bottle-some sites ask you to return it.
4. Seal liquids in their original containers. No open cups or poured-out bottles.
5. Don’t bring sharps, inhalers, or OTC drugs. They’ll be turned away.

Pro tip: Do this every spring and fall. Make it part of your seasonal cleaning routine-like changing smoke detector batteries or checking your fire extinguisher.

What’s Next?

The program is growing. The DEA is testing a new system that will remind patients to dispose of unused prescriptions right after they fill them-through electronic health records. Hospitals using Epic Systems are already trying it out. If it works, it could cut down on unused meds before they even leave the pharmacy.

And while Take-Back Day is a big deal, it’s not the whole solution. Only about 19% of Americans properly dispose of their unused meds, according to the American Society of Addiction Medicine. That means 8 out of 10 people are still tossing pills in the trash or flushing them. The goal now is to make permanent disposal as easy as buying a coffee.

For now, mark your calendar: next Take-Back Day is October 25, 2025. Set a reminder. Clean out your cabinet. And do your part to keep your family, your community, and your environment safe.