Safe Medication Disposal Doesn’t End With Take Back Day: Mobile Residents Have Year-Round Options

Mobile police and the sheriff’s office collected about 700 pounds of old medications on National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, and officials say residents who missed it can use year-round drop-off sites.

By James Bullard

October 30, 2026 · 7:24 am 4 min read

Authorized pharmacies, hospitals and businesses accept unused and expired medications throughout the year.

MOBILE, Ala. — Mobile County residents who missed last weekend’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day still have plenty of ways for safe medication disposal, health and law enforcement officials say. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s message is simple: “Every Day is Take Back Day,” and thousands of pharmacies, hospitals and businesses accept unused, unwanted or expired medicines all year long.

The reminder comes after local agencies collected hundreds of pounds of old medications during the national event on Saturday, Oct. 24. The Mobile Police Department said 389 pounds of assorted prescription pills were turned in at its headquarters, while the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office reported collecting 312 pounds of unidentified medications at its host sites. Together, that is roughly 700 pounds of drugs taken out of local homes in a single day.

A strong local turnout

Take Back Day sites across the county gave residents a no-questions-asked way to drop off pills they no longer needed. Danielle Simpson and Harold Jones of the Mobile County Health Department’s Community Outreach Programs were on hand at the Costco and Mobile Police Department locations to help.

Dr. Kevin Michaels, the Mobile County health officer, said residents who did not make it to a collection site on Oct. 24 should not assume they have to wait for the next national event.

“Even if you missed National Take Back Day, it is not too late to protect your family and community,” Michaels said. “Every day can be Take Back Day when residents use safe, authorized disposal sites for old medications.”

Why safe medication disposal matters

Old prescriptions sitting in a medicine cabinet can create real risks. Health officials say proper disposal reduces the chances of:

Accidental poisoning, particularly among young children who may mistake pills for candy and pets that get into bottles
Misuse, including the use of leftover prescription painkillers or other controlled medications by someone other than the patient
Diversion, in which drugs are taken from a home and sold or shared

The DEA encourages households to clean out their medicine cabinets regularly rather than only during the national collection days, and to bring anything they no longer need to an authorized collection site.

Where to drop off medications year-round

According to the DEA, more than 16,500 pharmacies, hospitals and businesses nationwide offer year-round drop-off options for unwanted medications. Many retail pharmacies maintain secure kiosks inside their stores where customers can deposit pills without speaking to anyone or showing identification.

To find an authorized collector, the DEA maintains a year-round collection site locator on its Take Back website. Residents can search by ZIP code or city to see a list of nearby locations. Mobile County residents can use the same resources to find a drop-off point close to home.

Because participation and accepted items can vary from site to site, it is a good idea to check with a location before making the trip, particularly if you are disposing of something other than ordinary pills or capsules.

About National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

The DEA launched National Prescription Drug Take Back Day in 2010 to give Americans a safe, convenient and anonymous way to get rid of prescription drugs. The event is typically held twice a year, in the spring and fall, with local police departments, sheriff’s offices and partner organizations hosting temporary collection sites.

The medications collected are destroyed under DEA oversight. During each event, collection sites generally accept tablets, capsules and patches. Needles and other sharps are not accepted at Take Back Day sites because of the risk of injury to the people handling the collection boxes.

Between the national events, the year-round network of authorized collectors fills the gap, which is why officials continue to emphasize that residents have options every day of the year.

If a drop-off site isn’t practical

For people who cannot easily get to a collection site, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration offers guidance for disposing of most medicines in household trash:

Remove the medicine from its original container.
Mix it with an unappealing substance such as used coffee grounds, dirt or cat litter. Do not crush tablets or capsules.
Place the mixture in a sealed plastic bag or other container to keep it from leaking.
Throw the container in the household trash.
Scratch out or remove personal information on the prescription label of the empty bottle before recycling or throwing it away.

The FDA maintains a separate “flush list” of a limited number of medicines, mostly powerful opioids, that it recommends flushing down the toilet when a take-back option is not readily available, because of the danger they pose if accidentally taken by someone else. For any medicine not on that list, the FDA does not recommend flushing. When in doubt, a pharmacist can explain how to dispose of a specific medication.

Tips for cleaning out your medicine cabinet

Check expiration dates on prescription and over-the-counter medications at least once or twice a year.
Set aside medicines from finished treatments, discontinued prescriptions or previous illnesses.
Keep medications that are still needed in their original containers, stored up and out of reach of children and pets.
Consider locking up controlled medications such as opioid pain relievers, stimulants and sedatives.
Take unwanted medications to an authorized collector as soon as practical rather than letting them pile up.

The bottom line

The roughly 700 pounds of medications collected in Mobile on Oct. 24 show that many residents are willing to clean out their cabinets when given the chance. Officials hope that habit continues between national events. With thousands of year-round drop-off sites and an online locator to find the nearest one, there is no need to hold onto unused pills until the next Take Back Day.