One important but easy step to protect your family and make a difference in the opioid crisis
Did you know that 1 in 4 teens has misused or abused prescription medications? Most often they get them from a family medicine cabinet.
Keeping expired or leftover prescriptions in the home can lead to accidents, overdoses or abuse. That's why we support local and state law enforcement agencies, pharmacies, and other community partners that host drug disposal sites.
You can safely dispose of unwanted prescription pills at the locations and times listed in the PDF below. Law enforcement officers remind you to always transport medications in their original containers. At some locations, you may need to transfer the pills into a plastic bag before putting them in the drop box.
If you are not able to return prescription drugs at a take-back site, the DEQ recommends following the directions in this section to dispose of most prescription drugs at home.
“Proper drug disposal is important because it helps protect human health and our environment. Unwanted drugs should not be flushed down the drain. When drugs are no longer needed, they should be taken to a collection for incineration to destroy the chemicals within them and prevent them from entering the water resources we use for drinking water. If this is not available, follow the instructions provided to dispose of them in the trash.
Over the last decade, prescription drug abuse and accidental death from drug abuse has skyrocketed. Over the last several decades, studies have shown that pharmaceuticals also persistent at low levels of in our surface water and ground water. Although there are no known health risks to people, there are known impacts to amphibians, fish, wildlife, and bacteria. Without improvements in disposal and our wastewater treatment technologies, the level of pharmaceuticals in our water is expected to increase as more and more people continue to take more and more medications.”
Let friends and family--especially those with youth who live in or visit their home--know about the importance of safe prescription drug disposal.
You might save a life!