April's National Drug Take Back Day is coming up!

National Drug Take Back (NDTB) Day is coming up on Saturday, April 26, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. NDTB day is a free, safe, anonymous, and convenient way to dispose of unused or expired prescription drugs as one of the many measures to prevent opioids and prescription medication misuse within communities. It is hosted in partnership with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), local law enforcement, and community partners. In October 2024, the state of Washington hosted 66 collection sites, resulting in a combined total of 5,736 tons prescription medications collected. 

There are numerous ways you and/or your community can get involved this April! Here’s how:

• Host a take back collection event in coordination with a local law enforcement agency. 
  • The partnering law enforcement agency must complete the April 2025 NDTB Day registration form and submit it to DEA.WA.NTBI@dea.gov.
• Join a take back collection event near you! Visit the DEA’s Collection Site Locator page and enter your location information. 
• Help spread the word by sharing Take Back Day education and awareness resources: 
  • DEA’s NDTB Day partnership toolbox 
  • HCA's Starts with One opioid misuse prevention campaign's safe disposal toolkit
  • HCA's Friends for Life youth opioid misuse prevention campaign's prevention partners toolkit

In Washington state, we recognize that every day can be Take Back Day! If you are not able to participate on the day of NDTB Day to dispose of unused or expired medications, there are a multitude of ways to do so in Washington:

• Visit a permanent safe disposal kiosk or location near you on the WA safe medication return (SMR) website.
• Order a free and safe mail-back envelope by visiting WA's SMR website and selecting the "Order Mail-Back Supplies" button. 
• Spread the message about the SMR program through materials that can be ordered through Department of Health (DOH) or downloaded from its SMR website, in the "More Safe Medication Return information and resources" accordion.