On Saturday, local communities across the country and southwest Virginia participated in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Drug Take Back Day. The initiative is put on twice per year by the DEA,

According to the FDA, unused and expired prescription medications can be dangerous if left inside your home. On Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the DEA will be hosting its annual drug take back day across the country.

Multiple drug take back sites were open on Saturday as part of the DEA's national Drug Take Back Day. Last year, nationwide, they collected more than 1.3 million pounds of unused medications. The effort is part of the US Drug Enforcement Agency's National Prescription Drug Take Back Day hosted twice a year in April and October.