NORTHAMPTON — Last week’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day events in Hampshire and Franklin counties collected 2,568 pounds of drugs, the Northwestern district attorney’s office reported.

That means the district has safely disposed of 71,584 pounds of drugs since 2011 during Take Back Days and through the permanent drug collection boxes stationed at many area police departments, ridding the region of unneeded prescription and non-prescription drugs, preventing misuse and keeping them out of water sources and landfills.

Saturday’s total is significantly more than the 1,681 pounds collected in April. Tallies in 2022 were 1,900 and 1,935 pounds.

The district attorney’s office teams up with local police departments, sheriff’s departments, county-based TRIAD initiatives and the national Drug Enforcement Agency to organize the twice-a-year collections. Local drug prevention coalitions, including Hampshire HOPE and the Opioid Task Force of Franklin County, support the efforts.

The following communities took part in the Oct. 28 event: Amherst, Belchertown, Deerfield, Easthampton, Hadley, Leverett, Montague, Northampton, Orange, Pelham, South Hadley, Sunderland, Williamsburg and Worthington.