Drug disposal: Pop over to prescription pill 'Take-Back Day'

Photo by Be.Futureproof via Flickr Creative Commons

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is asking the public to rid their medicine cabinets of potentially dangerous prescription medications and dispose of them through the agency's "National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day." The next opportunity is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 29.

The next event will be the agency's fifth, and the DEA has partnered with 4,300 local law enforcement partners to set up 7,500 disposal sites across the country. Each site will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time.

The service is free, the process is anonymous, and more than 1.5 million pounds of prescription drugs have already been turned in via the program, says the DEA:

On April 28th, citizens turned in a record-breaking 552,161 pounds (276 tons) of unwanted or expired medications for safe and proper disposal at the 5,659 take-back sites that were available in all 50 states and U.S. territories. When the results of the four Take-Back Days to date are combined, the DEA and its state, local, and tribal law-enforcement and community partners have removed over 1.5 million pounds (774 tons) of medication from circulation.

The progam will be adding new drug disposal locations to the below list for Los Angeles. If you do not find a collection site near you, check the DEA website frequently to search for a drug disposal site -- new sites are being added.

DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart says the program helps prevent addiction, overdose deaths and diversion of drugs to criminals.

DEA "TAKE-BACK" DRUG DISPOSAL SITES IN L.A.