On Saturday, October 26, in continuation of this effort, DEA and its national, tribal and community partners will hold the 18th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day across the country. The service is free and anonymous.

For the first time, DEA will now accept vaping devices and cartridges at any of its drop off locations during National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. It is important to note that DEA cannot accept devices containing lithium ion batteries. If batteries cannot be removed prior to drop-off, DEA encourages individuals to consult with stores that recycle lithium ion batteries.

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has announced another opportunity for consumers to dispose of unneeded and expired prescription drugs during the next DEA National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on Saturday, October 26, 2019, from 10 am to 2 pm. On this day, thousands of collection sites will be available across the country to accept unneeded and expired prescription drugs, including controlled substances, for safe and legal disposal. Since 2010, DEA has held 17 National Take-Back Days, and has collected and disposed of a total of 5,908.2 tons (11.8 million pounds) of these medications.

In addition to take-back day programs, there are many permanent disposal kiosks located throughout the country that can be used to dispose of unwanted prescription drugs at any time during the year. NABP’s Drug Disposal Locator Tool, available on NABP’s new consumer website, www.safe.pharmacy, is continuously updated with new locations. By entering a zip code or city and state, consumers can find the nearest disposal sites on a map. More than 8,000 disposal sites nationwide can be found within the system.