Safe Medication Disposal

To protect your privacy, patients are reminded to remove all personally identifiable information on medication labels or packaging before disposing of unwanted medicine.

Improper disposal of medicine – such as putting pills in the garbage or flushing them down the toilet – puts other people and our environment at risk. Below are general guidelines for the products that will and will not be accepted in drop boxes.

Accepted Medication

Drop box kiosks accept medicines sold in any form, including: prescription medication, over-the-counter medicines, controlled substances, and pet medications.

Medication Not Accepted

Where to return your medications

Snohomish County residents have several options for returning unwanted or expired medications, including dropping them off at a local kiosk or returning them through the mail.

Drop box kiosk locations

For a complete list of drop box locations, hours and addresses, visit MedTakeBackWashington.org or call 844-4-TakeBack (844-482-5322). Drop-off kiosks cannot accept sharps that contain medication.

Free prepaid mailers

You can return expired or unwanted prescriptions through the mail using free, prepaid, preaddressed mailers.

Disposing of used needles or sharps

Any type of sharp medical instrument that comes into contact with blood or other body fluids is considered a sharp and has the potential to spread infection. This includes any hypodermic needle, syringes with the needles attached, lancets and scalpel blades.

State and local laws prohibit placing loose sharps in your trash. Snohomish County residents may participate in a Sharps Collection Pilot Program. One (1) container per person, per week of residential sharps in an approved, sealed, labeled container may be brought to the Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off Station for free disposal. No business or commercial sharps are allowed.

You may also ask your local pharmacy if they sell new sharps containers or accept filled containers for disposal. There may be a cost associated with buying or disposing of sharps containers.

Do not place medicine or sharps in the trash or recycling, and never flush them down the toilet. Help keep your neighborhood safe by knowing how and where to return medications and sharps properly.