Protect people and planet with proper disposal of medications

Have expired or unused medications at home? It's important that you properly dispose of medications and prevent them from accumulating in your home, if you no longer need them. Unwanted medications at the back of your medicine cabinet do more than take up space, they account for the source of drugs misused by teens and adults more than any other source. We can agree then that disposing of unused medications is important, but so is how you dispose of them. Improper disposal of unwanted medications can result in serious harm to humans, animals, and the environment. All medications applied or ingested may be excreted or washed into sewage systems and discharged into the environment, including drinking water. Flushing unwanted medications down the toilet or throwing them in the garbage adds to this problem. Improper disposal of sharps into recycling receptacles creates a hazard for employees sorting the recyclables. 

There are many free and safe disposal options for medications (prescription, over-the-counter, controlled, and non-controlled substances) available year-round in Clark County. Go to the directory at RecyclingDoneRight.com to search for medications in the A-Z disposal directory and find the disposal options near you.

In addition to year-round options, we partner with other local organizations to offer a medication take-back event. On April 27, 2019, any prescription and over-the-counter medications will be accepted at the locations listed below, from 10 am to 2 pm. Disposal is free. Sharps and syringes (from residential/noncommercial sources only) will be accepted at the Kaiser Permanente Cascade Park and PeaceHealth Southwest Urgent Care locations. Put your sharps into an approved sharps container or rigid plastic container with a lid, and label the container "WARNING - SHARPS DO NOT RECYCLE". Medications collected at this event will be incinerated by the United States Drug Enforcement Agency. More information about this event, including what medications are accepted, can be found here.

​PeaceHealth Southwest Urgent Care (33rd & Main -South Back Lot - Vancouver)

Kaiser Permanente Cascade Park (12607 SE Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver)

Battle Ground Police Department (507 SW 1st St, Battle Ground)

Washougal Silver Star Search & Rescue (1220 A St., Washougal)

Cowlitz Public Safety Department (31501 NW 31st Ave., Ridgefield)

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Want to do more to secure the prescription medications in your home? Free medication lock boxes will be given to the first 200 who qualify, at the PeaceHealth Southwest Urgent Care and Battle Ground Police Department locations of this take-back event. Find out if you qualify for a lock box here.