It’s time to clear out the medicine cabinet and safely dispose of unwanted and unused drugs. This Saturday, April 27th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bellevue Police will take part in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Drug Take Back Day. You can drop off your expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs for disposal at Bellevue City Hall, the Bellevue Police Crossroads Substation or the Bellevue Police Factoria Substation inside Factoria Mall (The DEA cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps, only pills or patches.) This is the 8th year the Bellevue Police Department and the DEA have provided this free and anonymous service in an effort to curb prescription drug abuse. Drop off your drugs, no questions asked.

Since the program began, the DEA and its local and state law enforcement partners have collected more than ten million pounds of prescription drugs. On average, each event brings in more than 450 tons of pills.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that sit unused in home cabinets are highly susceptible to misuse and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety, health and environmental hazards.