Nov. 6, 2025:
Midwestern communities across the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Omaha Field Division safely disposed of 18,710 pounds of unneeded and expired medications, Oct. 25, 2025, at the 29th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Nationally, the DEA and its law enforcement partners removed 571,054 pounds of medication at 4,317 collection sites.
More than 125 law enforcement partners in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota and counties in western Illinois joined the DEA in hosting 132 Take Back Day locations.
“Thank you to everyone who took time out of their day to clean out medicine cabinets and drawers of unused and expired medications,” DEA Omaha Field Division Special Agent in Charge Dustin Gillespie said. “Each pill, patch and capsule that was dropped off at a Take Back location represents one less temptation for misuse or abuse. We’re grateful for your support and hope you will continue to dispose of unneeded medications at year-round collection sites near you.”
Since its inception in 2010, more than 20 million pounds of medication have been collected at DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. The removal of these medications from homes nationwide helps prevent prescription drug misuse and reduces the potential for accidental overdoses and poisonings.
For those unable to participate in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, there are nearly 16,500 pharmacies, hospitals and businesses, in addition to numerous police departments, that offer safe medication disposal year-round. For information on permanent drop-off locations, please visit DEA’s Every Day is Take Back Day website.
Complete results for DEA’s fall National Prescription Drug Take Back Day are available at www.dea.gov/TakeBackDay.
Oct. 24, 2025:
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Omaha Field Division in partnership with law enforcement agencies across Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota, will host over 130 National Prescription Drug Take Back Day locations on Saturday (Oct. 25, 2025).
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day provides Americans a way to safely and anonymously dispose of unused, unnecessary and expired prescription medications at nearly 4,000 collection sites across the country, in an effort to prevent prescription drug misuse and reduce the potential for accidental overdoses and poisonings.
DEA and its partners will collect tablets, capsules, patches and other forms of prescription drugs. Syringes, sharps and illicit drugs will not be collected. Liquid products, such as cough syrup, should be securely sealed in their original containers.
Since 2010, 20 million pounds of unused medications have been collected at Take Back Day events. Across the five state DEA Omaha Field Division area, 688,426 pounds– equivalent to roughly 168 average-sized cars in weight– have been collected through 28 prior events.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, opioids such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine and morphine, are among the most frequently misused prescription pain medications.
For more information or to find a DEA take back location near you, visit www.DEATakeBack.com.
If you are unable to participate in this National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, there are pharmacies, hospitals, businesses and police departments that offer safe medication disposal year-round. To find take-back locations in South Dakota or to order DisposeRx packets to properly throw away unwanted medications at home, visit https://letsbeclearsd.com/prevention/safe-disposal.
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