The Irvine Police Department (IPD) will be participating in the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, Oct. 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Community members can drop off unwanted medications at four designated locations in the City of Irvine. This free service, which allows the public to anonymously discard prescription medications, addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. The participating sites are:

Irvine Police Department, 1 Civic Center Plaza, in the parking lot

Kaiser Permanente Irvine Medical Center, 6670 Alton Parkway, near the Alton/Sand Canyon Medical Office Building 1

Hoag Health Center, 16405 Sand Canyon

Irvine Valley College, 5500 Irvine Center Drive, Parking Lot 5

IPD urges residents to bring expired or unwanted prescription drugs to the collection sites to eliminate the potential for misuse, abuse or accidental poisoning. Improper disposal of unused or expired medications, such as flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash, can be hazardous to public safety, public health, and the environment.

Additional information regarding the Drug Enforcement Administration’s national campaign, including other local collection sites, is available at https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/.