Don't Be a Dope with your Dope!

Not all the ingredients in prescription drugs and over-the-counter medicines are removed during wastewater treatment. As a result, medicines can find their way to the Bay where they may pose a risk to aquatic life. 

East Bay MUD provides disposal bins to prevent pharmaceutical waste from being dumped down the drain. If you have unused or expired prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, pet medicines, or prescription strength liquids/creams, you can do the following: 

• Pills/capsules: take them out of their plastic bottles; put the medicines in a plastic zipper bag; and recycle the plastic pill bottles at home.
• Liquid medication: block out your personal information on the container; and put the entire container in a leak-proof plastic bag.
• Drop the bagged medicines into the disposal bin.

WHAT SHOULD I DO NEXT?
For more information on how to package your medications or for the nearest disposal location, please click here or contact Josh.

DID YOU KNOW?
Only 50% of various pharmaceuticals and personal care products are removed by wastewater treatment, although the health impacts of these compounds to humans and the environment are largely unknown*
* Study by the International Joint Commission published in November, 2013