Properly disposing of unwanted or expired medication helps keep our community safe and protects our environment too. The City of Carlsbad makes it easy all year long, including at a special event on Saturday, Oct. 25 as part of National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.

Saturday, Oct. 25
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Safety Training Center
5750 Orion Street

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is a twice-a-year observance created by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to give people a safe way to dispose of unneeded or expired prescription drugs, including opioids, with no questions asked.

Flushing medications down the toilet is discouraged in most cases because wastewater treatment plants aren’t designed to remove pharmaceutical compounds. These residues can pass through the system and potentially harm marine life when treated water is released into the ocean.

Liquids, needles and syringes cannot be accepted at Saturday’s take-back event, but pet medication is allowed.

If you can’t make it Saturday, the city also offers a year-round Prescription Drug Drop Box at the Police & Fire Headquarters at 2560 Orion Way.

Safe sharps disposal
Properly disposing of medical “sharps” is an important way to protect our environment and help keep our community safe.

• Sharps include needles, syringes and lancets that many people with chronic conditions like diabetes or autoimmune disorders use to administer prescription medication and manage their disease.
• Sharps are a type of household hazardous waste, and California law prohibits throwing them in the trash where they might accidentally stick and expose other people – including children, housekeepers and trash collectors – to bacteria or other pathogens that are carried through the blood. Pets are at risk, too.

The City of Carlsbad provides a safe way to dispose of sharps at the Palomar Transfer Station Recycling Buy Back Center. When you bring sharps to the center, a staff member is there to collect them and make sure they’re disposed of properly. Sharps typically get incinerated by a company that specializes in handling them.

Palomar Transfer Station Recycling Buy Back Center
5960 El Camino Real
Monday to Saturday
8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Republic Services offers sharps disposal mail-back kits to Carlsbad residents for a small fee. For more information or to order a kit, call 760-332-6464 or email carlsbadservice@republicservices.com.

More information
Prescription Drug Drop Box
Household Hazardous Waste webpage