DeKalb residents can safely discard old or unwanted prescriptions from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m this Saturday at the DeKalb Police Department on Lincoln Highway.
The drop-off is anonymous and free.
Sergeant Chad McNett heads community relations for the department. They will partner with the Drug Enforcement Agency for the event. This weekend's collection is one of two held locally every year.
“They’re both sponsored by the DEA and they go through the state police so that everything that’s collected is then taken by the state police and properly disposed of and incinerated,” McNett said.
He also says this event is important so that the pills don’t get in the wrong hands.
“Pills might be stolen out of those bottles. You’re not going to notice it because you don’t go to those bottles on a daily basis. A good way to prevent the theft and drug abuse of these prescription pills – like people who aren’t authorized to get them – is to just get them out of the medicine cabinet," McNett said.
Unwanted liquid medicines, syringes, and needles are excluded from the take-back.
There are numerous collection sites to drop off old medications outside of these events.