DEA Take Back Day Collects Over 570,000 Pounds of Unused Medications Nationwide

Oregon – The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced that its 29th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on October 25, 2025, successfully removed 571,054 pounds of unneeded and expired medications from homes across the country. The initiative, held in partnership with 4,263 law enforcement agencies at 4,317 collection sites, is designed to prevent drug misuse before it starts by providing a safe and responsible way to dispose of prescription medications.

The DEA Seattle Field Division and its partners collected a total of 10,240 pounds of unwanted prescription drugs. State totals included Washington (3,962 pounds), Oregon (2,640 pounds), Idaho (2,414 pounds), and Alaska (1,224 pounds).

Since the program’s inception in 2010, DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day has collected nearly 20.4 million pounds of medications—more than 10,000 tons—helping to prevent prescription drug misuse, accidental overdoses, and poisonings.

For those unable to participate in the October event, nearly 16,500 pharmacies, hospitals, police departments, and businesses across the United States offer year-round safe medication disposal. A list of permanent drop boxes and additional resources is available on DEA’s Every Day is Take Back Day page, and full results from the fall event can be found on DEA’s Take Back Day page.