Five pharmacies and one sheriff’s office will provide bins where people in Yolo and Sacramento Counties can drop off their left over drugs.
Heidi Sanborn of the California Product Stewardship Council says collecting the medication for incineration will help reduce the public health dangers of storing and disposing of pharmaceuticals at home.
“If they’re in the trash, people and pets get a hold of them, yes. And if they’re flushed, can we get them all out of the water? And the answer is no,” says Sanborn.
The Stewardship Council says 80% of streams have detectable levels of prescription drugs. It’s estimated nearly 40% of prescribed medication isn’t used or disposed of properly.
The local drop off sites will take over-the-counter and prescription drugs, but cannot accept controlled substances like pain medications.
Find the drop off sites at www.dontrushtoflush.org/