No Drugs Down the Drain, SF Bay Area!

Are your medicine cabinets and drawers holding expired or unneeded medications? Do you know what to do with unwanted medications in your home? There is a right way and a wrong way to dispose of these medicines. The wrong way is down the drain, where they get sent out into our vulnerable waterways in the Bay Area leaving harmful traces that cannot be filtered out. Even though wastewater is treated, many drugs contain persistent chemicals that cannot be removed before wastewater is discharged to our waterways. As a result, over 80% of our waterways show traces of medications, and the impacts on our human and environmental health are of great concern.

Please join  the kickoff event for a permanent medicine collection bin at the Elihu Harris State Building Lobby, 1515 Clay Street, in Oakland. The event will be Thursday, September 24, from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. You may also stop by anytime during business hours and drop your medications in the green collection bin.

Examples of the medicines that will be accepted at the collection bin include: antibiotics, birth control pills, anti-depressants, pain relievers, cold and flu treatments and veterinary medications. Please no controlled substances or narcotics. Place all pills and capsules in a plastic zipper bag, and recycle your pill bottles at home to protect privacy. Liquids should remain in sealed containers with personal information marked out.