La Grange police host Drug Take Back Day Oct. 24, 2026
By La Grange Daily staff · October 14, 2026 · 1 min read
The La Grange Police Department will collect unwanted medications for free on Oct. 24 as part of the DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Photo by Towfiqu Barbhuiya on Pexels
Residents can drop off unused and expired medications for free at the La Grange Police Department on Oct. 24, starting at 10 a.m.
The department, at 304 W. Burlington Ave., is partnering with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration for National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, according to the village’s event calendar. The La Grange station will serve as a regional drop-off site. According to the DEA, more than 4,400 collection sites will operate nationwide.
In a statement, Kaitie Panka, prevention program manager at Youth Outreach Services, stressed the importance of the event for local families.
“Most medication misuse begins with pills already in a home,” Panka said. “Drug Take Back Day gives Lyons Township families a free, anonymous way to remove that risk before it reaches a child, a teen, or a vulnerable family member.“
Youth Outreach Services, a nonprofit that has operated since 1959, maintains a Lyons Township office in La Grange and provides substance use screening and treatment services for young people.
The police department accepts prescription and non-prescription pills, capsules, gel caps, tablets, patches, ointments, vitamins, pet medications and liquids in their original sealed containers. Needles, syringes, inhalers, pressurized containers, medical equipment and bio-hazardous materials will not be accepted.
Residents who cannot make it Oct. 24 can use the department’s permanent drug disposal box in the front lobby year-round. Loose pills should be placed in a clear zip-lock bag before being deposited.
Collected items are transported to a regional DEA collection site.