NORTHAMPTON – Communities in Hampshire and Franklin counties have signed on to the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day planned for Saturday, April 27, to offer residents a chance to safely dispose of unwanted and unneeded drugs.

People are encouraged to clean out medicine cabinets and drop off prescription or over the counter drugs for humans or pets in a collective effort to save lives by preventing misuse or accidental ingestion.

Take Back collections are scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at police departments or public safety complexes in Deerfield, Easthampton, Erving, Hadley, Leverett, Montague, Pelham, Southampton, South Hadley, Sunderland and Williamsburg.

Other drop off sites are at Wildwood Elementary School, 71 Strong Ave., Amherst; the Town Common in Belchertown; Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School on Locust Street in Northampton; the Highway Department at 64 Huntington Road in Worthington.

The Northwestern district attorney’s office teams up with the Hampshire and Franklin sheriff’s offices, the county-based TRIAD initiatives, local police departments and the national Drug Enforcement Agency to offer the take back events.

“We hope people will take advantage of the drug take back drop off as part of their annual spring cleaning. Unused drugs must be removed from people’s homes and not disposed of in the trash or waterways for the good of everyone,” said Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan. “This is prevention, and one way to save lives.”

Nearly 72,000 pounds of drugs have been safely disposed of since 2011 during Take Back Days offered twice annually and through permanent drug collection boxes stationed at area police departments. These efforts rid the region of unneeded prescription and non-prescription drugs, keeping them out of water sources, landfills and preventing misuse.