Free - Safe Medicine Disposal!

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Date: September 6, 2011

Contact: Department of Health Services
Healthy Communities Section
(707)565-6680

Sept. 19th to Sept. 23rd

11:00 to 3:00 pm daily
List of locations below

Protect Our Environment

• Flushing medications down the toilet may harm our local waterways because wastewater treatment plants aren't designed
• to treat them.
• Medicines don't belong in the garbage either where they can also get into the landfill environment.

Keep Medications Out of the Wrong Hands

• Prescription medications are the most commonly abused substance in the U.S.
• More young people age 12-17 abuse prescription drugs than any illicit drug except marijuana.
• Studies show that a majority of these prescription drugs are obtained from medicine cabinets.

Drop-off Locations

Drop off your expired, unused and unwanted prescription and over-the-counter drugs at one of these convenient drop-off locations:

Monday, Sept 19th
Lobby Cotati Police Station
203 West Sierra Avenue, Cotati
(map this location)

Tuesday, Sept. 20th
Lobby
Sonoma County Water Agency
404 Aviation Blvd., Santa Rosa
(map this location)

Wednesday, Sept. 21st
Petaluma Wastewater Treatment Plant
3890 Cypress Drive, Petaluma
(map this location)
Treatment plant and wetland tours available.
To RSVP call (707) 776-3777

Thursday, Sept. 22nd
Emergency department, lobby
Kaiser Permanente
401 Bicentennial Way, Santa Rosa
(map this location)

Friday, Sept. 23rd
Vintage House
264 1st St. East, Sonoma
(map this location)

Friday, Sept. 23rd
Parking lot
Berger Center at Oakmont Village
6633 Oakmont Drive, Santa Rosa
(map this location)

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.

Items Accepted at the Drop-off Locations

• Prescription and over-the-counter pills and capsules
• Liquid medications, including ointments, lotions and creams (in sealed containers please!)
• Veterinary medications
• Vitamins, supplements, homeopathic remedies
• Medical patches
• Inhalers (empty)
• Medical samples

Used sharps in secure FDA-approved sharps containers will be accepted ONLY at the Oakmont site on Friday, September 23.

Items Not Accepted

• Controlled substances
• IV bags
• Bloody or infectious waste
• Personal care products (body lotion, shampoo etc.)
• Aerosol cans
• Thermometers
• Illegal drugs
• Medical marijuana
• Any other waste or medication not listed under "items accepted"

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.

Residents can also visit a participating year round drop-off location. A list of participating locations may be viewed online at www.safemedicinedisposal.org. There is no charge to participants returning medicine. Funding for this year round program has been provided by the City of Santa Rosa, Sonoma County Water Agency and Russian River Watershed Association.