Are unused and expired medications filling up your medicine cabinet? Don’t flush them down the drain because they will end up in creeks and streams and are harmful to fish. Don’t throw them in the trash because they can leach into the ground when they end up in a landfill and can contaminate groundwater. Help protect your family and the environment by taking your unwanted medications to a participating take-back location.
Here in Windsor, you can take them to Health First Pharmacy on Windsor Road or Alliance Medical Center on Old Redwood Highway.
Windsor, in partnership with the Russian River Watershed Association and other local agencies, pharmacies and law enforcement, has been providing safe medicine disposal locations here in Sonoma County for several years. The volume of collected medicines has increased every year since the program started. Since 2008, 3,100 pounds have been collected in Sonoma County. By 2015, that amount has grown six-fold to over 19,500 pounds of medications collected. Currently, the town funds the take-back program in Windsor, but at this rate of growth, the continued operation of the program is becoming cost prohibitive.
To help address the cost of providing safe medicine disposal, the County of Sonoma became the first county in California to pass a resolution supporting Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policies. EPR is a strategy that places responsibility for safe disposal of the medications on the manufacturer of the products, while encouraging product design that minimizes negative impacts on human health and the environment.
This summer, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors will consider adopting an EPR ordinance establishing a Safe Drug and Sharps Stewardship Program that requires pharmaceutical companies to collect and dispose of leftover or expired drugs and separately used sharps (needles), from all county residents. The County Department of Health Services, Environmental Health and Safety Section will oversee the program. In the interim, keep our safe medicine disposal sites busy by returning unwanted medications responsibly.
Remember, you have a great alternative only a few miles from your home.
This article was written by Elizabeth Cargay of the Town of Windsor, Public Works Department in association with the Sonoma County Department of Health Services. For questions or further information, please contact Elizabeth at Town of Windsor Public Works at 838-1006.
