Saturday marks sixth annual Rx drug take-back day

(HealthDay)—United States residents across the nation will have an opportunity to safely and anonymously unload expired, unwanted prescription medications on Saturday, April 27, during the sixth annual National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.

A partnership of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and national, tribal, and community groups, Take-Back events have collected more than two million pounds of unwanted medications since 2010. The events have become popular with the public as an opportunity to safely rid their homes of potentially dangerous prescription drugs.

Collection sites, which can be found by going to www.dea.gov, clicking on the "Got Drugs?" button, and following the links, will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time.

"Proper disposal of unused pharmaceuticals save lives and protects the environment," Acting DEA Special Agent in Charge, Bruce C. Balzano, said in a statement. "We urge individuals to participate in this event and discard of their unwanted or expired medications at one of the many take-back locations."