ATLANTA -- Americans participating in the United States Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) second National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day event last weekend turned in more than 376,593 pounds of unwanted or expired medications.

This is 55 percent more than the 242,000 pounds the public brought in during last September's event.

The medications were taken to 5,361 take-back sites in all 50 states.

"The amount of prescription drugs turned in by the American public during the first two take-back events is simply staggering -- 309 tons -- and represents a clear need for a convenient way to rid homes of unwanted or expired prescription drugs," said DEA administrator Michele M. Leonhart.

ATHENS, Ga. – The entire school has been renovated, faculty boast that it’s “green” and its home to one of the only school rainwater retention systems in Georgia. For over a year, the students at Flower Drive Elementary have been displaced. But recently, they moved back into their home at 400 Fowler Drive and they’re ready to show it off.

According to Dale Rodgers, the students and faculty “recycle, reuse and reduce” daily, they flush toilets in one wing of the school with water from their retention system and on “a very small scale” they are taking waste from lunch and turning it into compost for a future community garden in one of their pre-constructed gardening plots.  

Fourth and fifth grade members of the Science Club collected data on how much food is wasted during lunch to figure the amount of compost that would be created with the materials. Rodgers said, “They were amazed how much food was wasted during lunch”.