Have a bunch of expired medicine laying around?
Several locations in South Philly will help discard those potentially dangerous substances during Prescription Drug Take-Back Day initiative on April 26.
The DEA has offered National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day since 2010 with the goal of fighting prescription drug misuse by creating convenient ways to dispose of medication that could otherwise be misused.
In addition to the DEA’s Prescription Drug Take-Back Days, the state offers year-round opportunities to dispose of medication through DDAP’s Prescription Drug Take-Back Program locations.
“Every day is a take-back day in Pennsylvania. In addition to the DEA’s boxes on April 26, there are nearly 900 DDAP drug take-back boxes available throughout Pennsylvania year-round for residents to use, including at buildings throughout the Shapiro administration,” said DDAP Secretary Dr. Latika Davis-Jones. “Our goal is to get rid of all the expired, unused and unwanted prescription medications in a safe, secure manner. It’s one of our strongest substance use disorder prevention efforts.”
Over the last 10 years, Pennsylvania’s drug take-back program has collected and destroyed more than 1.5 million pounds of prescription medication.
“The Pennsylvania State Police is committed to keeping dangerous drugs out of our communities. We have a multi-faceted approach, from education and prevention to interdiction and enforcement,” said PSP Commissioner Col. Christopher Paris. “Do your part to make sure prescription drugs do not end up in the wrong hands or used the wrong way by disposing of them responsibly.”
On April 24, South Philly sites collecting unwanted items will include the 1st Police District at 24th and Wolf streets, Walgreens Pharmacy at 2310 Oregon Ave., CVS Pharmacy at 1901 Oregon Ave., Walgreens at 2014 S. Broad St., Methodist Hospital Apothecary at 2301 S. Broad St., the 3rd Police District at 11th and Wharton streets and the CVS at 1405 S. 10th St. You can find one of Pennsylvania’s year-round drug take-back locations at ddap.pa.gov/drugtakeback.
During the most recent National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day in October 2024, the DEA collected nearly 27,000 pounds of unused medication in Pennsylvania alone across 259 collection sites.
For more information on National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, visit takebackday.dea.gov.
