National Prescription Drug Take Back Day 2021 In Fairfax County

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — If you have half-empty bottles of unused prescription drugs littering your bathroom shelves or medicine cabinet, mark your calendars for Saturday.

This year’s first National Prescription Drug Take Back Day will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 24, giving residents around Virginia an opportunity to dispose of the medications safely before they end up in the wrong hands.

This year’s first National Prescription Drug Take Back Day will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 24, giving residents of Fairfax County an opportunity to dispose of the medications safely before they end up in the wrong hands.

Expired medications can be dropped off at the following locations:

• Fair Oaks District Station, 12300 Lee Jackson Memorial Highway, Fairfax, VA 22033
• Franconia District Station, 6121 Franconia Road, Alexandria, VA 22310
• Mason District Station, 6507 Columbia Pike, Annandale, VA 22003
• McLean District Station, 1437 Balls Hill Road, McLean, VA 22101
• Mount Vernon District Station, 2511 Parkers Lane, Alexandria, VA 22306
• Reston Hospital Center, 1850 Town Center Parkway, Reston VA 20190 (Outside Pavillon 1, across from Parking Garage B)
• Sully District Station, 4900 Stonecroft Blvd., Chantilly, VA 20151
• West Springfield District Station, 6150 Rolling Road, Springfield, VA 22152

The federal Drug Enforcement Administration will host the 20th event in cooperation with law enforcement agencies. The service is free and anonymous. All pills will be accepted, but liquids, needles and sharps can’t be taken during this event.

Fairfax County also has a number of permanent dropbox locations, including:

• West Springfield Police Station, 6140 Rolling Road, Springfield, VA 22152; 703-644-7377
• Town of Herndon Police Station, 397 Herndon Parkway, #300, Herndon, VA; 703-435-6846
• Walgreens Pharmacy: Available in the following locations: Alexandria, Annandale, Centreville, and Springfield
• Spectrum Healthcare Resources, 10580 Arrowhead Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030; 571-432-2600
• Kaiser Reston, 1890 Metro Center Drive, Reston, VA 20190; 703-709-1560

If you can’t make it there/to any of those locations, find a drug take-back site here.

According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, millions of people every year misuse prescription pain relievers, stimulants, tranquilizers and sedatives. Nearly 50,000 people in the United States died from opioid-involved overdoses that year.

The survey also showed that a majority of misused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from a home’s medicine cabinet.

The last drug take-back event was held in October 2020. During the event, partners collected nearly 985,400 pounds of unused prescription drugs nationwide, the largest amount ever collected in the program’s 10 years. More than 403,676 pounds were collected in Virginia.

Nearly 13.7 million pounds of expired, unused and unwanted prescription medications have been collected since the program’s inception.

The Environmental Protection Agency offers guidance on items not accepted during take-back events, including the disposal of sharps and other medical waste. The Food and Drug Administration offers tips on getting rid of liquid medicines that are expired or no longer needed.

Given the ongoing pandemic, both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency also have tips on how to safely dispose of drugs without leaving home.

Don’t forget! This Saturday is National Drug Take Back Day! Safely dispose of your unused or expired medications at any of the locations below between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. #FCPD #MedicineCabinetCleanOut pic.twitter.com/IxHsJi0vJo
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) April 21, 2021