Hazardous Waste Symbol Picture by Francisco Javier Argel at https://www.flickr.com/photos/totoro_zine/2062522813/

Hazardous Waste Warning

LessIsMore.org works best in modern browsers like Firefox, Safari, Chrome, or Internet Explorer 8. All are free to download and will greatly improve your internet experience. Wastes in this section are dangerous to you and the environment. Handle them carefully and dispose of them properly. Legally, households may not transport more than 15 gallons of wet or 125 pounds of dry hazardous materials. Read about the regulation.

Household Medications

Please don't flush old medications down the drain. Wastewater treatment facilities are not able to remove many of the chemicals that make up pharmaceutical products. If released into water bodies, these pharmaceutical byproducts can adversely impact wildlife and the environment.

So if I can't put meds down the drain, what should I do with them?

In June 2016, the County Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance that requires pharmaceutical manufacturers that sell product in our county to establish and fund a free collection program for unwanted household medications. MED-Project, the organization implementing the program on behalf of the pharmaceutical industry, installed the first round of collection kiosks in March 2018 and continues to add more locations on an ongoing basis. Sites are included in the "Where to Go" section at the bottom of this page and can also be accessed on MED-Project's website.

Inmar is also an organization that operates a program on behalf of the pharmaceutical industry and hosts medication disposal kiosks and offers a mail back program. Click here for information on their program.

Can I also drop off my needles along with my medications?

NO! The medication drop-boxes are not designed to accept any "sharps." Please see our Sharps Disposal page for local collection sites.

Should I put pills into a plastic bag or keep them in their original bottles?

It's best to place all pills into a tightly sealed baggy (e.g. Ziploc) prior to bringing them to one of the drop-off sites. You can then recycle the bottles and/or boxes in your household recycling bin.

What about liquid medication?

Please make sure that liquid medicines are sealed tightly and put into a plastic bag. This is also true for medicated creams and lotions.

Where to go

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