Drop off your unused medications at sites in the Delaware Valley on National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

State and local officials are campaigning for people to dispose of leftover prescription drugs, especially the kinds that can be misused.

Between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, hundreds of public agencies and businesses in the Delaware Valley will participate in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.

People can drop off medications to participating police departments, city halls, pharmacies, grocery stores, libraries, schools, and community centers throughout the tri-state region.

“Unused or unwanted prescriptions are a potential hazard that can lead to misuse, developing a substance use disorder or lethal overdose,” Robert Torres, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Aging, said in a statement.

The federal Drug Enforcement Agency launched National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, a biannual event, over a decade ago in 2010 to address skyrocketing rates of addiction and overdoses linked to the misuse of opioid pain medications like oxycodone and hydrocodone.

“Prescription medications can be stolen, sold, or used by others for whom they were not prescribed,” Torres said. “They can be accidentally ingested or misused by other family members, including children.”

Take-back locations will accept prescription tablets, capsules, patches, and other forms of medications. They should be in containers like pill bottles, boxes, blister packs, or zipped plastic bags. Liquids need to be sealed in their original containers.

People can also dispose of vaping devices and cartridges with the batteries removed.

Collection sites will not take syringes or illicit drugs.

Some events will also offer training on how to use naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal medication.

A full list of participating locations in Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania is available online.