Sites across Lehigh Valley will collect unwanted medicines on Saturday

Do you have a cabinet full of expired, unwanted or unused medications? Or even just a few that need to be safely disposed of? Then mark your calender for this Saturday, Sept. 29. From 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., sites across the Lehigh Valley region will be accepting medications for proper disposal.

The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

In the past, anyone with unwanted medications was advised to flush them down the toilet. However, tests have shown an alarming amount of dangerous pharmaceuticals in our national water supplies and this practice is no longer feasible. The DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day offers a safe, convenient way to dispose of unwanted, potentially dangerous medications at 5,659 sites across the United States and its territories.

Not only does it ensure proper disposal, it keeps the medications from being abused. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls prescription drug abuse an epidemic, and states that more people are dying from prescription drug overdoses than heroin and cocaine combined. During the last event, in April, more 552,161 pounds—276 tons  — of medication was collected, preventing its abuse.

Click here to view a list of sites in the Lehigh Valley region that are participating in the event. If you don’t see one near you, click here to search by zip code, or call 800-882-9539 for more information.