Patients with unused or expired medications have a new way to dispose of them properly.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office announced on Dec. 14 the installation of eight kiosks throughout the county designed to accept such medications.
The kiosks were installed as a part of the “new and improved” Operation Medicine Cabinet that’s meant to take unused or expired medications, which include prescribed narcotics, because they can pose threats to the elderly, children, and pets, and could possibly contaminate the water supply, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
“Medication that is flushed down the toilet or thrown in the trash can be harmful to the environment,” said Kelly Hoover, the public information officer for the Sheriff’s Office. “Wastewater treatment facilities are not designed to handle material often found in medications, therefore they pass untreated into our water system.”
Only medications can be accepted. They include medications that are over-the-counter, prescription, samples, pet medications, medicated lotions and ointments, and liquid medications in leak-proof containers.
Needles, hazardous waste, and medical waste will not be accepted.
The drop-boxes are open 24 hours a day, and in North County they can be found in the following locations:
- Lompoc: 3500 Harris Grade
- Buellton: 140 W. Highway 246
- Solvang: 1745 Mission Drive
- Santa Maria: 812-A W. Foster Road
This article appears in Dec 24-31, 2015.
