Woodridge Police Collecting Unwanted Prescriptions April 28

The and the Drug Enforcement Administration will collect unwanted prescriptions April 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the , 1 Plaza Dr. 

All prescriptions will be accepted, no questions asked. 

Usual methods for disposing of unused medicines, such as flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash, are now both known to pose both potential safety and health hazards, according to a police release. 

The event is an "opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs," according to the release.  

Last October, Americans turned in 377,080 pounds—188.5 tons—of prescription drugs at over 5,300 sites operated by the DEA and nearly 4,000 state and local law enforcement partners. 

In its three previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners took in almost a million pounds—nearly 500 tons—of pills. 

Medicines that linger in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse, the release said.

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.