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The Mountain View Fire Department will be collecting unwanted prescription medications for disposal this Saturday, Oct. 26.
Officials with the fire department will be collecting the medications from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the fire and police department administration building, located at 1000 Villa St. The collection is part of a nationwide effort, organized by local municipalities in coordination with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.
Throwing prescription drugs in the trash or flushing them down the toilet can result in those pharmaceutical agents making their way into the water supply and adversely affecting wildlife, according to Carrie Sandhal, a water environment specialist with the fire department. The fire department regularly holds prescription drug disposal events to properly destroy them.
A press release for the event requests that those with undesired prescription medications pour all solid pills and powders into a single resealable plastic bag “in order to minimize the amount of non-medication material that is incinerated.”
Solid and liquid medications will be accepted, but liquid medications should remain “tightly sealed in their original containers.”
Injection medications and syringes will not be accepted.
The fire and police department administration building is the only Mountain View location collecting prescription drugs, do don’t drop off medications at any other fire station.
For more information, call Sandahl at (650) 903-6224. If you are unable to make the event but wish to dispose of medications at another time, visit www.savesfbay.org.
Over-the-counter medications will be accepted at this Take-Back event as well as prescription medications.
At Palo Alto Clinic I was told I could not bring any opiates in their original form–that I would have to add water and dissolve/degrade them and bring them in a baggie. Will the MV FD program accept all pills? (If so, that would be great.)
Hi SP Phil- all medications, including pain medications/opiates will be accepted at this take-back day. No need to alter them before you drop them off. Please remember to recycle the plastic pill containers at home if possible.
This drug collection program is great news. I hope folks take full advantage of it.
And I hope it becomes a frequent event during the year.
This is a great service. It should happen more often and be publicized further in advance.