Richmond Expands Drug Take Back Access Options
Residents can now utilize permanent pharmacy kiosks to safely discard unused medication year-round.
Updated on Oct. 24, 2026 in Substance Abuse
Live Poll
Do you regularly check your home cabinets and dispose of unused or expired medications?
Virginia Commonwealth University Police and the School of Pharmacy hosted a Drug Take Back Day event at Monroe Park this past Saturday. The initiative encouraged community members to safely discard unused or unwanted medications during National Pharmacy Week.
Why it matters
Properly disposing of expired or unused medication is a critical step in promoting community wellness and preventing accidental ingestion or misuse of substances. Events like this help residents clear out home medicine cabinets safely.
VCU Health maintains 6 permanent self-serve take-back boxes across the region compared to the temporary collection site used for this event. The total volume of pharmaceutical waste successfully intercepted during the weekend remains unknown.
The players
Virginia Commonwealth University Police
The campus law enforcement agency responsible for public safety and community health initiatives.
VCU School of Pharmacy
An academic institution focused on pharmaceutical education, research, and patient safety advocacy.
VCU Health
The university's clinical health system which manages pharmacies and permanent medication disposal sites.
The details
The event offered a secure, centralized location for the community to drop off medications that are no longer needed. Beyond temporary events, VCU Health pharmacies provide permanent disposal infrastructure to ensure medications are handled according to safety protocols. These boxes allow for the ongoing, anonymous disposal of prescription and over-the-counter drugs, preventing them from entering the environment or being accessible to others in the home.
Timeline
October 24, 2026: Drug Take Back Day event took place at Monroe Park.
Oct. 18 to 24, 2026: National Pharmacy Week.
Health Landscape
This effort follows the model of the DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back Day initiative to reduce the availability of unused medications in the community. It represents a shift toward establishing permanent infrastructure alongside periodic public collection events.
If you have leftover medications at home, you can use one of the 6 VCU Health pharmacy locations, such as the VCU Medical Center Gateway Building or Short Pump Pavilion, to dispose of them year-round. It is worth discussing with your doctor or pharmacist which medications in your cabinet are truly necessary and which should be discarded.
The takeaway
Safely clearing out your medicine cabinet helps prevent accidental misuse or improper disposal of chemical substances. Consult your pharmacist to identify which expired or unused prescriptions are safe to drop off at a permanent collection box.
Further reading
Learn more about Substance Abuse and resources for safe medication management in your community.
Source note: This article includes information reported by 8News.
Live Poll
Do you regularly check your home cabinets and dispose of unused or expired medications?
