PD Joins 2026 Prescription Takeback Day

Arlington Heights police will join the federal Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 25, giving residents a local site to turn in unused medicine. (dea.gov) The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said the 30th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at nearly 4,200 locations nationwide. The agency holds the event twice a year with local law enforcement and community groups. (dea.gov) In Arlington Heights, the Police Department is at 200 E. Sigwalt St., and the village says the station accepts prescription and over-the-counter medications in the building entrance. The police lobby is open 24 hours a day, year-round. (vah.com 1) (vah.com 2) The take-back program targets a simple problem: old pills left in homes can be misused, stolen, or diverted to someone other than the patient. The Drug Enforcement Administration says the program gives the public a safe and anonymous disposal option for expired and unused prescription drugs. (dea.gov) Federal officials have kept expanding the campaign as overdose prevention and drug diversion remain central public-health and law-enforcement concerns. The Drug Enforcement Administration said National Prescription Take Back Day has removed more than 20 million pounds of unwanted medications from U.S. communities over the past 16 years. (dea.gov) Arlington Heights already runs a broader medication disposal effort beyond the April event. The village says residents can bring unwanted or expired medicine to a drop-off box at any time, and the Police Department lobby also offers Narcan, fentanyl test strips, and sharps disposal through a harm-reduction station. (vah.com 1) (vah.com 2) For residents, that means the one-day federal collection is part of a year-round local system centered at the police station. On Saturday, the message is the same as the national campaign: clean out the medicine cabinet and hand off unused drugs for disposal instead of leaving them at home. (dea.gov) (vah.com)