Utah officials are trying to spread the message that you don't have to wait for one of the semi-annual drug takeback events to properly dispose of unused or expired prescriptions.
“Don’t leave these unused and unwanted medications in your pantry or your medicine cabinet," exclaimed Dustin Gillespie with the Drug Enforcement Administration. "Get rid of them now!
The new slogan is, "Make every day take back day!"
For more than a decade, the DEA has sponsored two big events to collect unused or unwanted drugs, one in the spring and another in the fall.
The events began as ways to collect opiate-based pain pills out of the hands of individuals who may misuse them,
In Utah alone, officials have collected more than 65,000 pounds of medications since 2021.
“You want to get them out in a proper way that won’t harm the environment, you’re not flushing them down the sink or the drain or flushing them down the toilet," Gillespie said. "It’s not leaching into our water supply, we collect them we incinerate them in a very efficient manner.”
While not all of the medications collected are pain pills, leaders believe the quantity shows the need for a way to dispose of medications safely.
Now, there are 150 authorized collecting sites all around the state, with officials pushing the message that any day is a good day to safely dispose of pills.
“It’s a quick stop on your way to the grocery store, on your way to work, there’s so many different collection sites across the state and here in the valley, it’s just too easy," Gillespie reflected.
In addition to the collection sites across Utah, there are also dozens of authorized sites in neighboring states such as Colorado, Wyoming and Montana.
To find a drug collection location near you, click here.
