National Medicines Take-Back Day is back to give people the opportunity to drop off unnecessary medicines.

At Midway Cub Foods in St. Paul on Saturday morning, syringes could also be thrown away, keeping them from contaminating the environment and out of the wrong hands.

The OPUS Coalition of Ramsey County has packed bottles and pill boxes for several years twice a year outside the grocery store as part of the US Drug Enforcement Administration’s nationwide event.

The group has teamed up with Ramsey County Public Health now for the second year to provide a place to properly dispose of used syringes as well.

The coalition said last year, they collected about 400 pounds of medicine.

They say every unnecessary bottle and sharp object thrown away is an essential step toward safety. According to the coalition, 75% of people who abuse prescription drugs get them from friends, relatives or medical professionals.

“… Just a wide range — a wide range of drugs and over-the-counter drugs that people could use. And so this is just an opportunity to get rid of all that stuff in your medicine cabinet in a way that also protects our environment. And you don’t have to flush it down the toilet, said Jonessa Wisniewski, leader of the Ramsey County OPUS Coalition.

In the first hour of Saturday, the group has already collected two bags of garbage full of value.

You can turn in unused medications any day of the year in metro counties, usually at local pharmacies and law enforcement centers.