Clean Out Your Medicine Cabinet, Safely

Got unused or expired medications cluttering up your bathroom cabinets?

Little known fact: throwing them out or flushing them down the drain can contaminate the water supply and cause injury to your neighbors.

But you can protect the environment by participating in the Sonoma County's "Safe Medicine Disposal Program," where county businesses host drop-off stations for clean disposal of unwanted drugs.

Free drop-off locations will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the week of Sept. 19 through 23 at various Sonoma County locations. (Note: Three of the locations are in Santa Rosa, closest to Healdsburg, on Tuesday, Sept. 20, Thursday, Sept. 22, and Friday, Sept. 23).

Click here for the locations during the special drop-off week.

Additionally, Healdsburg Police Department headquarters is a safe drop-off location throughout the year.

Accepted

• Prescription and over-the-counter-pills
• Liquid medications and sealed ointments, lotions and creams
• Veterinary medications
• Vitamins,supplements and homeopathic remedies
• Medical patches
• Empty inhalers
• Medical samples

Not Accepted

• controlled substances
• Chemotherapy drugs
• IV bags
•  Bloody or infectious waste
•  Personal care products (lotion, shampoo, etc.)
•  Aerosol cans
• Epi-pens, needles or sharps
• Thermometers
• Illegal drugs
• Medical marijuana

Click on the PDF at right to get a list of drop off locations and dates – all locations will accept unwanted medications between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

How to participate:

1) Arrive at drop off location and remove unwanted medication from containers

2) Put all pills together in a zip lock bag (available at the drop off site), liquids and creams must remain in sealed containers.

3) Remove labels or mark out personal information.

4) Deposit the empty containers in the provided disposal bin or recycle empty medication containers in your home curbside blue recycling cart.

The “Safe Medicine Round Up Week” is sponsored by the Sonoma County Department of Health Services, the Sonoma County Water Agency, the Russian River Watershed Association, the City of Santa Rosa Environmental Services, the City of Petaluma Environmental Services, the Cotati Police Department; the Oakmont Village Association, Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa, and Sonoma Senior Center Vintage House.

More than 600 pounds of unwanted medicine and approximately 212 pounds of sharps were collected throughout Sonoma County as a part of the Safe Medicine Disposal Program’s “Safe Medicine Round Up Day” held on April 29, 2011.