Drug Take Back Day 2021 To Be Held In Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA, VA — If you have half-empty bottles of unused prescription drugs littering your bathroom shelves or medicine cabinet, mark your calendars for Saturday.

This year’s first National Prescription Drug Take Back Day will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 24, giving Alexandria residents an opportunity to dispose of the medications safely before they end up in the wrong hands.

The federal Drug Enforcement Administration will host the 20th event in cooperation with law enforcement agencies. The service is free and anonymous. All pills will be accepted, but liquids, needles and sharps can’t be taken during this event.

The Alexandria Police Department and Alexandria Sheriff's Office are among participating agencies. Police will collect unused prescription drugs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at these locations:

• First Baptist Church (2932 King Street)
• Alexandria Police Department Headquarters (3600 Wheeler Avenue)
• Fire Station 210 (5255 Eisenhower Avenue)
• The Neighborhood Pharmacy of Del Ray (2204 Mount Vernon Avenue)

If you can’t make it to any of those locations, find a drug take-back site here.

In addition, the following locations are year-round permanent drop boxes in Alexandria:

• The Neighborhood Pharmacy of Del Ray (2204 Mount Vernon Avenue), available Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
• Inova Alexandria Hospital (4320 Seminary Road, inside the visitor’s entrance and next to the cashier’s window), available daily, 1 p.m.-5 p.m.
• Alexandria Police Department (3600 Wheeler Avenue, inside the front entrance, ring bell for access); available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Because needles are not accepted during the take back event or permanent drop boxes, Inova Alexandria Hospital has a new permanent drop box for needles and syringes. It has the same location and hours as the permanent drop box for prescription drugs.

According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, millions of people every year misuse prescription pain relievers, stimulants, tranquilizers and sedatives. Nearly 50,000 people in the United States died from opioid-involved overdoses that year.

The survey also showed that a majority of misused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from a home’s medicine cabinet.

The last drug take-back event was held in October 2020. During the event, partners collected nearly 985,400 pounds of unused prescription drugs nationwide, the largest amount ever collected in the program’s 10 years. More than 25,706 pounds were collected in Virginia. In 2020, 858.8 pounds of unused medication were collected in Alexandria from drug take back day events and year-round permanent drop boxes.

Nearly 13.7 million pounds of expired, unused and unwanted prescription medications have been collected since the program’s inception.

The Environmental Protection Agency offers guidance on items not accepted during take-back events, including the disposal of sharps and other medical waste. The Food and Drug Administration offers tips on getting rid of liquid medicines that are expired or no longer needed.

Given the ongoing pandemic, both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency also have tips on how to safely dispose of drugs without leaving home. The city urges residents not to flush drugs down the toilet due to the environmental hazard to waterways.

The Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Alexandria is promoting free Deterra drug disposal pouches that can be requested through April 30.

For those without access to a drug disposal pouch, here are instructions for disposing of unwanted medications:

• Check medication bottles for instructions on proper disposal.
• If no instructions are present, remove medication from its original container. Do not crush tablets or capsules.
• Mix medication with an undesirable, inedible substance, such as kitty litter or used coffee grounds.
• Place mixture in a sealable bag or container and throw away in the trash.
• Black out all personal information on the prescription label so it is unreadable.