King County residents can safely dispose of the medicines they no longer need by taking them to a drop-box located throughout King County. Participating pharmacies, clinics, hospitals and law enforcement offices will accept most prescription and over-the-counter medicines for disposal. Mail-back envelopes are also available for residents that are home bound or have limited mobility. There is no cost to residents to use this service.
Children can be curious Children can be curious and can get into medicines or mistake them for candy. A leading cause of preventable poisoning for children under age six is medicines found in the home. Safely storing what you need and disposing of what you don’t helps keep families safe.
Teens believe it’s safe Many teens mistakenly believe it is safe to misuse prescription and over-the-counter drugs because they get them from the home. More than half of teens surveyed say they get the drugs they abuse from their family or friend’s medicine cabinet, often without anyone’s knowledge. Safely disposing of what you no longer need reduces access.
Seniors keep loved ones safe More than 50 percent of seniors take more than 5 medications or supplements daily. Storing unwanted medicines with daily medications can put seniors at risk of not taking medications as prescribed and are accessible to others for misuse. Safely storing what you need and disposing of what you don’t keep families safe.
