The Kirkland Police Department will be hosting its fifth “National Pharmaceutical Drug Take-Back Day” and will be accepting potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sept. 29. The KPD is acting in support with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Kirkland residents can bring medications for disposal to the Kirkland Police Department Lobby located at the south entrance of City Hall. The service is free and anonymous.

Last April, 192 law enforcement agencies hosted drug take-back events at 224 sites in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Over 28,510 pounds of unwanted/unused pharmaceuticals were collected on April 28.

According to DEA, this initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.

For more information on this event, please contact Lieutenant Nick Seibert at (425) 587-3445 or nseibert@kirklandwa.gov. As part of its Recycling Program, the City’s Public Works Department encourages residents to return unwanted medicines. For a list of local authorized collection sites, visit www.kirklandwa.gov (Search: Medicine Return).