Drug Take Back Day Is Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026: Where to Drop Off Old Medications in Ocala and Marion County

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's 31st National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Residents can drop off unneeded, expired or unused prescription medications at registered collection sites. As of Oct. 21, the DEA's collection site locator lists one site in Marion County: the Ocala Police Department's front atrium, 402 S. Pine Ave., Ocala.

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At a Glance

• What: National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, the 31st, hosted by the DEA with more than 4,300 law enforcement partners


• When: Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.


• Where in Marion County: Ocala Police Department, front atrium, 402 S. Pine Ave., Ocala, FL 34471; (352) 369-7000


• Accepted: tablets, capsules, patches and other forms of prescription medication; liquid medications sealed in their original containers


• Not accepted: syringes, sharps and illicit drugs


• Cost: the DEA does not list a fee for dropping off medications

Where Is the Drug Take Back Site in Ocala?

A search of the DEA locator by Marion County returns a single site, listed as "Ocala Police Department Front Atrium." The locator places it at 402 S. Pine Ave., which is the address the Ocala Police Department gives for its headquarters. The department's main number is (352) 369-7000.

Searches of ZIP codes in Belleview (34420), Dunnellon (34431 and 34432), Marion Oaks (34473), Summerfield (34491) and west Ocala (34481 and 34482) also showed no other Take Back Day site inside Marion County. The DEA says sites are added daily, so the locator is worth checking again before Saturday.

What Are the Closest Sites Outside Marion County?

For residents at the edges of the county, the DEA locator lists these registered Take Back Day sites in neighboring counties. Distances are the locator's own approximate figures from the ZIP code searched:

• Summerfield and south Marion: Wildwood Police Department, 8942 N. US-301, Wildwood (about 12 miles from ZIP 34491)


• Dunnellon area: Levy County Sheriff's Office site at Inglis Town Hall, 135 Highway 40 West, Inglis (about 14 miles from ZIP 34431); Citrus County Sheriff's Office site at Walmart, 2461 E. Gulf to Lake Highway, Inverness (about 17 miles from ZIP 34432, the same distance the locator gives for the Ocala Police Department site)


• West of Ocala: Williston Police Department, 5 SW 1st Ave., Williston (about 16 miles from ZIP 34482)

What Can Be Dropped Off, and What Can't?

According to the DEA's Oct. 16 announcement, collection sites take tablets, capsules, patches and other forms of prescription medication, plus liquid medications that are securely sealed in their original containers. Sites do not take syringes, sharps or illicit drugs.

The DEA says the event is meant to prevent diversion and accidental poisonings. It cites the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in naming prescription opioids such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine and morphine among the most frequently misused prescription pain medications. DEA Administrator Terry Cole said Take Back Day has removed more than 20 million pounds of unneeded medications from American homes since 2010. The agency expects more than 4,400 collection sites nationwide this fall.

Where Can Medications Be Dropped Off the Rest of the Year?

The DEA notes that more than 15,300 pharmacies, hospitals and businesses nationwide take medications year-round. Its year-round disposal locator lists these registered collectors in and near Marion County:

• Heart of Florida Health Center, 2553 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, FL 34470


• Heart of Florida Health Center, 5051 SE 110th St., Belleview, FL 34420


• Shands Teaching Hospital and Clinics, 2051 NW 80th Court, Suite 200, Ocala, FL 34482


• CVS (registered as Holiday CVS), 10255 SW 86th Circle, Ocala, FL 34481


• CVS (registered as Holiday CVS), 5208 E. County Road 466, The Villages, FL 32162

The locator gives addresses only, not hours or drop-off procedures, so calling ahead before making the trip is a good idea.

What If a Drop-Off Site Isn't an Option?

Marion County Solid Waste's materials page says household prescription and over-the-counter medications should never be flushed or poured down a drain, because wastewater treatment systems are not designed to remove many of them. The same page lists unused or expired medications among the items accepted at the county's Baseline household hazardous waste site. For putting them in the household trash instead, the county lists seven steps:

1. Keep the medicine in its original container.


2. Mark out the name and prescription number.


3. For pills, add some water or soda to start dissolving them; for liquids, add something inedible such as cat litter, dirt or cayenne pepper.


4. Close the lid and secure it with duct or packing tape.


5. Place the bottles inside an opaque container such as a coffee can or plastic laundry bottle.


6. Tape that container closed.


7. Hide it in the trash, not the recycling bin.

What About Needles and Sharps?

Take Back Day sites do not accept needles. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's sharps disposal guidance says to put used needles in a sharps disposal container right away, keep it away from children and pets, and stop filling it at about three-quarters full. The FDA lists drop-off sites such as doctors' offices, hospitals, pharmacies, health departments and police or fire stations, plus household hazardous waste sites, mail-back programs and special pickup services. It advises checking local rules with the trash service or health department, since they vary by location.

More in Ocala This Weekend

Take Back Day falls on the last full weekend before Halloween. Our Halloween in Ocala guide lists trunk or treats, festivals and haunts through Oct. 31, and things to do in Ocala covers the rest of the weekend. For year-round health needs, see our guides to pharmacies in Ocala and Ocala hospitals.

Sources: U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, "DEA Hosts the 31st National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 24th" (dea.gov, Oct. 16, 2026), including the date, hours, accepted and excluded items, partner and site counts, and the Terry Cole quote; DEA Take Back Day collection site locator (dea.gov/takebackday), searched by Marion County and by ZIP code, for the Ocala Police Department site and nearby out-of-county sites; DEA Diversion Control Division year-round disposal locator (apps.deadiversion.usdoj.gov), for year-round collectors; Ocala Police Department (ocalapd.gov), for its address and phone; Marion County Solid Waste, "Materials accepted at recycling centers" (marionfl.org), for at-home medication disposal; U.S. Food and Drug Administration, "Best Way to Get Rid of Used Needles and Other Sharps" (fda.gov), for sharps disposal. Checked Oct. 21, 2026.