CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – Saturday is National Drug Take-back Day and drives were set-up across western Massachusetts to collect unwanted or unused medications.

Ten communities in Hampshire County and five more in Franklin County participated in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day to provide an opportunity to safely dispose of unwanted drugs.

At the Easthampton Public Safety Complex, take back collections were scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Take Back program began in 2010 with the intent of removing expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs from homes where they could be misused, stolen or abused.

Opioid misuse remains at epidemic levels in the United States, so this is seen as a collective effort to save lives.