Submitted by Thurston County Public Health
Many of us have medications stored in medicine cabinets, bedside tables, and even handbags that are expired or are no longer needed. A great way to make sure those medications don’t end up in the wrong hands is to safely dispose of them. When you dispose of unwanted medications at a drop box, you help protect our community and keep medications out of our local waterways.
Thankfully, safe disposal is free and convenient. There are numerous locations in Thurston County where you can take unwanted medications for free, safe disposal. Many of these are located at pharmacies including all of the local Rite Aid and Safeway stores. You can find a location near you at the Thurston Medication Take Back website.
Saturday, October 28, 2023 is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, which is an initiative to provide safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs while educating the public about the risks of medication misuse. Even though safe disposal of medication can occur any day, year-round, this day is a reminder to community members to look through and clean out their medicine storage.
For medication that needs to remain at home, plan for safe storage. Safe storage of medications is essential. Securely storing your medication protects your loved ones (including pets) from misuse and poisoning. Consider these basic tips for medication storage:
- Keep medicine out of reach.
- Store medications in their original containers with caps on. •
- Avoid storing medicine in your bathroom, kitchen, purse, or other visible places. •
- Store in a locked location like a cabinet or drawer. If that isn’t convenient, consider using a lock box or bag.
- Pay attention to how the medicine is being used. Know how many pills you have.
Want to learn more? Check out this article.
Sponsored
