Where To Dispose Of Expired, Unused Drugs In Healdsburg

HEALDSBURG, CA — Do you have unused or expired prescription medications taking up space in your cabinets? Here's where you can safely dispose of them this month.

As part of the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on Saturday, Oct. 26, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is teaming up with local facilities and agencies to host safe drop-off sites for unwanted medications across California.

The service is free, and no questions will be asked. All prescription medications will be accepted, but needles and sharp objects will not be allowed.

It’s important to clear old medications out of your home, as they are the leading cause of accidental poisoning in households. Unused or expired medications thrown in the garbage or flushed down the toilet can also pollute the environment.

Drug Take-back Day is a biannual event that occurs every April and October. During the 26th take-back day earlier this year, 4,607 law enforcement agencies participated nationwide and collected 670,136 pounds of medications, according to the DEA. In California alone, 203 law enforcement agencies took part and collected a total of 32,637 pounds of medications.

This Saturday, medications will be collected from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the following locations in Sonoma County:

• Healdsburg Police Department, 238 Center St., Healdsburg
• Windsor Police Department, 9291 Old Redwood Highway, Windsor
• Cloverdale Police Department, 112 Broad St., Cloverdale
• Santa Rosa Police Department, 965 Sonoma Ave., Santa Rosa
• Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety, 500 City Center Dr., Rohnert Park
• Cotati Police Department, 216 E. School St., Cotati
• Sebastopol Police Department, 6850 Laguna Park Way, Sebastopol

Don't see a collection site close to you? Search for one here by entering your ZIP code.