The Department of the Attorney General in Hawaii is working with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Hawai‘i Department of Law Enforcement (DLE) Narcotics Enforcement Division, and local law enforcement agencies to organize the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. The event will take place on Saturday, October 25, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Residents are encouraged to bring expired or unused medications to drive-through collection sites located on Oʻahu, Maui, and Kauaʻi. More information about locations can be found at http://ag.hawaii.gov.
The Take Back events are held twice a year and offer a free and anonymous way for people to dispose of unwanted medications. Accepted items include tablets, capsules, liquids, and other forms of medication in their original containers; labels do not need to be removed. Vaping devices will also be accepted if batteries are removed. Syringes, whether new or used, will not be accepted.
Jerome Souza, Acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge at the DEA’s Honolulu District Office, said: “The National Take Back Initiative demonstrates DEA’s commitment to promoting the health and safety of Hawaiʻi residents. The results of past DEA take back events are substantial, with thousands of pounds of unneeded, potentially dangerous medications being collected and safely destroyed. Through collaborative education and action, we can save lives.”
Jared Redulla, DLE deputy director for Law Enforcement, stated: “The Department of Law Enforcement encourages everyone to participate in this year’s National Drug Take Back Day. This is a great time to clear your medicine cabinets at home of any unused or unwanted medications and this program ensures that those medications will never be misused.”
Valerie Mariano, branch chief for the Community and Crime Prevention Branch at the Department of the Attorney General, said: “Collecting unused and expired medications keeps it out of the environment. Let’s work together to keep Hawaiʻi safe from prescription drugs entering our land and ocean.”
Authorities remind residents that medicines should not be disposed of in household trash or flushed down toilets because improper disposal can result in prescription drugs contaminating water supplies or harming aquatic life. Proper disposal also helps prevent accidental poisoning in homes with children or elderly residents.
