If you have a cabinet full of extraneous prescription drugs, tomorrow (Saturday) will be your chance to get rid of them.
The Fairfax County and Town of Vienna police departments will participate in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Drug Take Back Day by hosting sites where people can dispose of unwanted and expired prescription medications.
Each of Fairfax County’s police districts will host a collection site from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., though not all of the sites are located at the actual district stations:
- Sully District Station (4900 Stonecroft Blvd, Chantilly)
- Mount Vernon District Station (2511 Parkers Lane, Alexandria)
- Tysons Emergency (8240 Leesburg Pike, Vienna)
- Mason District Station (6507 Columbia Pike, Annandale)
- Reston Hospital Center (1850 Town Center Parkway, outside pavilion 1 and entrance 3)
- Franconia District Station (6121 Franconia Road, Alexandria)
- Fair Oaks District Station (12300 Route 50, Fairfax)
- Kings Park Library (9000 Burke Lake Road, Burke) — for the West Springfield District Station
The Vienna Police Department will also accept medication drop-offs during that same time frame at its headquarters (215 Center Street South). During the last Drug Take Back Day on April 27, the department collected 304 pounds of drugs from residents that were delivered to the Virginia State Police for disposal.
More from Vienna on what its police station will accept:
Medications may be dropped off in their original containers, but personal or identifying information should be removed from prescription bottles. Liquid products should be sealed in their original container to prevent leakage. Intravenous solutions, injectables, and syringes will not be accepted due to associated hazards, except for EpiPens. Additionally, residents who wish to drop off vape pens or other e-cigarette devices can do so, but only after batteries are removed.
According to the FCPD, the federal Drug Take Back program is intended to prevent medicine from being abused or accidentally ingested. It also has an environmental benefit.
“Flushing medications down the toilet or throwing them in the trash can lead to contamination of waterways and soil,” the FCPD said in a press release. “Proper disposal through the DEA’s program ensures that these substances do not harm the environment or wildlife.”
Take-back days generally occur twice a year: once in the fall and once in the spring. The Fairfax County Health Department has year-round drug disposal options, with permanent drop boxes available at police stations, pharmacies, hospitals and other locations around the county.
