The Tyler Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration are hosting a drug drop-off Saturday.

East Texas residents will have the opportunity to safely dispose of their leftover prescription drugs on Saturday as a part of the national Drug Enforcement Administration Takeback event.

People can drop off their leftover prescriptions at several locations across East Texas, including in Tyler at Brookshire’s on Rice Road from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“We are so proud to be able to host this event in Tyler again,” said Tyler Police Department Public Information Officer Andy Erbaugh. “Disposing of unneeded prescription drugs in the home is one of the best ways to keep them out of the wrong hands.”

Other locations in East Texas will be held at that same time on Saturday in 11 communities. To see a list of all the locations, visit easttexasrx.com.

“Reducing prescription drug abuse in East Texas is one of our top priorities,” said Joseph Byrum, coalition coordinator for the Piney Woods Substance Abuse Coalition, which helps promote the event and educate the community. “We know that when teens abuse prescription drugs they typically get them from friends and family, sometimes taking them from an unmonitored medicine cabinet without the patient’s permission.”

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration states that half of people over age 12 who said they took a drug not prescribed to them received them for free from friends and family.

Children or pets taking drugs from the trash is one of the top calls to poison control, said Nathan Grounds, coalition coordinator of the Northeast Texas Coalition Against Substance Abuse.

“The safest way to dispose of your leftover drugs is with law enforcement at a secure location,” he said.

Those who attend one of the events on Saturday can visit easttexasrx.com to see disposal box locations at law enforcement agencies and pharmacies across East Texas.

Next Step Community Solutions in Tyler is the parent nonprofit for three substance abuse coalitions in East Texas. The East Texas Substance Abuse Coalition covers Smith County. The Piney Woods Substance Abuse Coalition covers Gregg, Harrison, Marion, and Upshur counties. The Northeast Texas Coalition Against Substance Abuse covers Cass, Camp, Titus and Morris counties. The coalitions are funded through grants from Texas Health and Human Services.