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MedDrop

Medication Disposal Program

THE CORRECT WAY TO DISPOSE OF MEDICATION

the MedDrop program

A safe, secure way to dispose of unwanted medications which could unintentionally be consumed by children and others, or be scavenged from the trash and sold illegally.

Medicines collected at the MedDrop locations are incinerated and disposed of in the most environmentally safe method currently available. MedDrop disposal reduces the amount of improperly disposed medicine that can eventually contaminate area rivers, lakes and streams.

MEDDROP

how to use

  • To dispose of medications in the MedDrop drop boxes, please bring your unused or expired medication and a Ziploc or other resealable bag to the MedDrop police department. It is important to keep medications in original bottles until you are at the MedDrop Station.
  • Empty contents of pill bottles into a Ziploc/storage bag at the police station and recycle your pill bottles, either by taking them home with you, or placing in the container provided at the police station. Block out personal information before recycling.
  • Leave liquids, gels or creams in their original containers and place them in a Ziploc/storage bag
  • Place sealed Ziploc/storage bags into the MedDrop box
  • A list of items accepted for disposal at MedDrop drop boxes is listed below

DISPOSAL PROCESS

what medications are allowed

Allowed MedDrop Items

  • Prescription Medicine (pills, liquids, creams, powders & patches)
  • Over-the-Counter Medicine (pills, liquids, creams, powders & patches)
  • Medications for Pets
  • Vitamins
  • Medication Samples
  • Nebulizer Solution
  • Inhalers

Not Allowed MedDrop Items

  • IV Bags
  • Oxygen Tanks
  • Nebulizer Machines
  • Thermometers
  • Sharps, Epi-pens or anything with a needle or lancet

*Illegal drugs cannot be disposed of in the drop box. However, you may bring illegal drugs to the police station and turn them over to authorities, no questions asked.

**MedDrop locations hosted outside of a Police Department have different restrictions on medications and items they will collect. Please call the location to verify.

IF MEDDROP IS NOT AVAILABLE

MedDrop is the best way to dispose of medicines, or pharmaceuticals. If MedDrop is not available, do not flush your unused pharmaceuticals. Instead, dispose of them in the trash.

 Especially when there is a risk of accidental poisoning, overdose or diversion, it is better to dispose of household pharmaceuticals rather than keep them. When placing unused pharmaceuticals in the trash, be sure to:

  • Remove or mark over all labels that identify the materials as pharmaceuticals or that could provide personal information about you, including prescription information that someone could try to refill;
  • Render them unattractive to children and thieves by dissolving them in a small amount of water or alcohol, or by grinding them up and mixing them with coffee grounds or kitty litter; and put them in a second container or small plastic bag and hide them in your trash.

RESOURCES

Sharps Collection Sites

Click to view a list of sharp collection sites in Dane County.

Medication Lockbox

For a free medication lock box, contact us at info@safercommunity.net

MEDDROP partners

  • City of Madison
  • Dane County
  • Dane County Narcotics Task Force
  • Dane County Sheriff’s Office
  • Dane County Public Works, Highways & Transportation
  • SSM Health/Dean
  • Village of Blue Mounds
  • Village of Cambridge
  • Village of DeForest
  • City Of Fitchburg
  • City Of Madison
  • City Of Middleton
  • City Of Sun Prairie
  • Village of Marshall
  • Village Of Mazomanie
  • Village Of McFarland
  • Village of Oregon
  • Village Of Shorewood Hills
  • Village Of Waunakee
  • UW Police Department
  • Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District
  • Pharmacy Society Of Wisconsin 
  • Pharmacies In The Dane County Area
  • Public Health – Madison And Dane County
  • UW Health / Quartz / UnityPoint Health-Meriter
  • Wisconsin Department of Justice
  • Wisconsin Society Of Pharmacy Students

RESOURCES

related news

RECOVERY IS POSSIBLE

Treatment Key

Safe communities has complied a list of abbreviation definitions for finding the right treatment for you.

MAT: Medication for Addiction Treatment.
OP: Outpatient Treatment – person lives at home or in the community, attends. individual and group therapy, these can include or not include MAT.
IOP: Intensive Outpatient Treatment – person lives at home or in the community, attends individual and extended groups, 9-12 hours a week.
Residential: person lives at the facility for a period of at least 14 days, some last as many as 45 days.
PHP: Partial Hospitalization Program is a structured mental health treatment program that runs for several hours each day, three to five days per week.
DBT: Dialectical behavior therapy is a form of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) that integrates mindfulness techniques.