Safe Medicine Drop Off Day Scheduled for Sonoma area

You knew you're not supposed to flush old, out-dated or unwanted medicine down the toilet right? It's important to get un-needed meds out of the house, but depositing them into the communal water supply is definitely not the way to go about it. (See Drugs in Your Drinking Water? on this blog.)

By properly disposing of medication, we keep our environment and waterways clean, and reduce safety and health risks associated with children or adults taking non-prescribed medications. Fortunately, the Safe Medicine Disposal Program offers a way to properly and safely dispose of unwanted medication.

Beginning on September 19 through September 23, the public can drop off unwanted medicine at six locations throughout Sonoma County. The free “Safe Medicine Round Up Week” is part of the Safe Medicine Disposal Program’s ongoing public outreach efforts to raise awareness on how to properly dispose of unwanted medicine.

As part of the "Round Up", two locations in Sonoma Valley will be accepting drop offs between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., on Friday, September 23, 2011.

Date: Friday, September 23
Location: Vintage House
264 1st Street East, Sonoma

Date: Friday, September 23
Location: Oakmont Village, Berger Center (Parking Lot)
6633 Oakmont Drive, Santa Rosa

Note: Used sharps in secure FDA-approved sharps containers will be accepted ONLY
at the Oakmont site on Friday, September 23, from 11 a.m. to 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.

Items accepted at the drop off locations include:

• 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.

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Drugs in Your Drinking Water?
Clean Drinking Water a Major Concern
What You Can Do to Protect Drinking Water