Nearly 442 tons of prescription medications were collected nationwide during the Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Oct. 26.
That includes nearly 37,000 pounds collected by Pennsylvania police departments. The agency released figures on Monday.
Three police departments in Westmoreland County participated in the event as did numerous others in the region, including in Allegheny County. They collected unused, unwanted or expired prescription medication in an effort to prevent those pills from ending up in the wrong hands. The administration holds two Take Back Days each year. There were 214 collection sites in Pennsylvania and nearly 4,900 across the country.
The agency has collected more than 6,000 tons since the event started in 2010.
Numerous locations in Westmoreland County, including pharmacies and hospitals, collect prescription medications year-round. Those can be found here.
