Drug take back day this Saturday

Photo: Unsplash // James Yarema

Over 11,000 pounds of medication was collected in Utah on the last drug take back day, in April

SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah — The second biannual National Drug Take Back Initiative will be held this Saturday, Oct. 28. Two collection sites are located in Summit County.

According to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, this twice-a-year event is meant to encourage the public to remove unneeded medications from their homes as a measure of preventing medication misuse and opioid addiction from ever starting.

During National Prescription Drug Take Back Day in April, 663,725 pounds of unused prescription medications were collected from nearly 5,000 collection sites, according to the DEA. Over 11,000 pounds of medication was collected in Utah alone.

Over 17 million pounds of unused medications have been collected so far over the course of 24 National Prescription Drug Take Back Days.

Summit County residents can discard unused medications, both liquid and solid, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the following collection sites:

• Smith’s – 1725 Uinta Way, Park City
• Summit County Sheriff’s Office – 6300 Justice Center Road, Park City

Illicit substances will not be accepted as a part of this initiative.

Outside of the bi-annual take back initiative, unused medications can also be dropped off at the Summit County Sheriff’s Office Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Find additional take back sites near you here.