Medicine Return Program
Why disposal programs are needed?
Today, our medicine cabinets and vanities are full of unwanted or expired medications. Many of these medications if mismanaged pose serious safety and environmental threats ranging from child poisoning, illegal use, to contamination of our streams and drinking water.
Sending your medicines out with the trash or flushing them down the drain may seem like the easy answer, but medicine in unsecured trash bins can be stolen and wastewater treatment plants do not effectively remove these drugs from our environment.
To protect our families, communities and the environment the Health Department is teaming up with local law enforcement, pharmacies and other regional agencies to establish a safe and secure disposal program for medications.
Collection sites have been established throughout Pierce County for the safe return of your unwanted or expired medications.
Please note that this program does not accept medications from businesses.
For more information on medication disposal (click here).
- According to data released by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) at least half of all Americans take at least one prescription drug, with one in six taking three or more prescription medications.
- Drug poisoning is now the second leading cause of unintentional injury deaths, exceeded only by motor vehicle fatalities.
- For the first time, national studies show that today's teens are more likely to have abused a prescription painkiller than any illicit drug.
- A 1999 U.S. Geological Survey of 139 streams in thirty states found at least one pharmaceutical in 80 percent of the streams tested.
