Dispose of Unwanted Drugs at Two Alexandria Locations

Dispose of your unwanted drugs on Saturday at two locations in Alexandria as part of the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Initiative.

Alexandria’s Police Department and Sheriff’s Office along with the Substance Abuse Coalition of Alexandria have partnered with the Drug Enforcement Administration on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to collect potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs and other medications for destruction. 

The collection sites are police headquarters, located at 3600 Wheeler Ave., and the parking lot of the Neighborhood Pharmacy of Del Ray, located at 2204 Mount Vernon Ave. The service is free and anonymous.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Many Americans are not aware that medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse, according to Alexandria's police department. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are increasing at alarming rates, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.

In addition, many Americans do not know how to properly dispose of their unused medicine, often flushing them down the toilet or throwing them away, which are potential safety, health and environmental hazards.

Collection sites in every local community can be found by going online to the Drug Enforcement Agency's website.