WAUSAU, Wis. (WXCO) – Before it gets in the wrong hands, here’s how to get rid of old, unused or unwanted medications safely and conveniently.

Last October, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) removed nearly 600,000 pounds of unneeded medication from nearly 5,000 Drug Take Back Day collection sites across the nation. Removing almost 18 million pounds of unused prescription medications since the initiative began over a decade ago.

Drug Take Back Day occurs biannually, with the first one this year falling on Saturday, April 27th.

“Drug Take Back Day is a day for people to get rid of old, unused or unwanted medications safely and conveniently,” says Amanda Zehnle, Aspirus Pharmacy Resident.

It’s also a time to raise awareness and educate everybody about the risks of keeping their old medications. Too often these medications find their way into the wrong hands, leading to drug addiction, accidental poisoning, overdose or abuse.

It’s important to dispose of old drugs properly and one way to do that is to drop them off at a medication drop-box.

How do you get started?
Simply open your medicine cabinet, gather the medications you no longer need, remove or cover up prescription or personal information, and put them in a zip-top bag.

• What’s allowed: Prescription (controlled and non-controlled) and over-the-counter medications, ointments, patches, non-aerosol sprays, inhalers, creams, vials, and pet medications

• What’s not: Illegal drugs, needles/sharps, aerosol cans, bio-hazardous materials (anything containing a bodily fluid or blood), mercury thermometers, personal care products (shampoo, soaps, lotions, sunscreens, etc…), household hazardous waste (paint, pesticides, oil, gas).

• What next?
• Find a medication drop-box near you and dispose of your bag of medications. Aspirus has drop-boxes located at Aspirus Wausau Hospital and Aspirus Medford Hospital, but there are others located in our communities and throughout the United States.

Don’t worry if you’re unable to make it to a drop-box on April 27th. You can drop off medication any time of the year. This flexibility ensures that individuals can dispose of medications safely whenever the need arises.