(WKBN) – National Drug Takeback Day is this Saturday.

Ohio and Pennsylvania residents are asked to bring their unwanted or unused medications to nearby collection sites.

The 23rd annual National Prescription Drug Take Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications.

The drug overdose epidemic in the U.S. is considered a public health, public safety and national security threat. Too often, unused prescription drugs find themselves in the wrong hands, creating a dangerous and often tragic situation.

The Drug Enforcement Administration hosts National Prescription Drug Take Back Day during the last Saturday of the months of April and October.

Some ways you can prepare for Take Back Day include locating all medications in your house and ensuring they’re securely stored. Inventory the medications and identify which are unwanted and whether they’ve expired.

Label each of those identified medications with clear signage that indicates disposal and take them to a collection site near you.

Numerous police departments in the Valley are partnering with the Drug Enforcement Administration to provide a safe place to dispose of any unwanted medications. Locations accepting medications during this time include the Austintown, Boardman and Liberty police departments. The Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office is also a location.

The DEA’s website lists the results from the most recent National Takeback Day in October.
It found that the total law enforcement participation was 4,340. There were 4,902 collection sites.

The total weight of prescription drugs collected was 324 tons and the total weight of the drug collected was 8,318 tons.