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Drug Take Back Day 2026: Oct 24 hours and what to bring

World · By SpikeToday ·

Two orange prescription pill bottles with white caps, one standing and one lying on its side
Unused prescription medicine is what Take Back Day collects. Photo: Airman Valerie Monroy, U.S. Air Force, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.

The next National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is Saturday, October 24, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has announced (DEA, October 7). It is the 31st Take Back Day. You can drop off expired or unused medicines at collection sites run with local police and pharmacies, free and with no questions asked.

What you can bring

Before you hand over a bottle, scratch out your name and other personal details on the label, as the FDA advises for medicine packaging you throw away.

What is not accepted

For needles, ask your pharmacy or local health department about a sharps disposal program. Some sites also turn away aerosol cans and biohazard waste, so check with yours if you are unsure.

Why it matters

Medicine left in home cabinets can be taken by children or misused by others. The DEA holds Take Back Day twice a year, in April and October, so people can get rid of drugs safely instead of throwing them away or keeping them for years.

A man hands a prescription bottle to uniformed staff in blue gloves sorting collected medicines at a long table
Volunteers sort medicine handed in at a Take Back Day collection table in 2016. Photo: Nacho Anazawa, U.S. Air Force, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.

Can't make it on October 24?

You do not have to wait for Take Back Day. The FDA lists these options, best first (FDA):

  1. A year-round take-back location. Some pharmacies have drop-off boxes or kiosks. The DEA's locator lists authorized collectors.
  2. A prepaid mail-back envelope, sold at pharmacies and online; some pharmacies give them free.
  3. The flush list. Only medicines on the FDA's flush list, such as fentanyl patches, should be flushed down the toilet when no take-back option is available.
  4. The household trash, for almost everything else: take the medicine out of its container, mix it with something unappealing such as used coffee grounds, dirt or cat litter, seal it in a bag or container, throw it away, and scratch out the personal details on the empty packaging.

Inhalers and aerosol products can be dangerous if punctured or burned. Follow the label and your local rules for those.

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