***PRESS RELEASE***
New Community Centered Safe Medicine Disposal Events Coming to San Francisco Neighborhoods this October
Four easy-to-access collection events this October will welcome San Francisco residents to safely dispose of expired, unused, and unwanted medicines.
San Francisco, CA – Today the San Francisco Environment Department (SFE) invites San Francisco residents to safely dispose of their expired and unwanted medicines free of charge at four safe drug disposal events this October. The San Francisco Safe Drug Disposal Stewardship Ordinance, sponsored by then-Supervisor London Breed and passed by the Board of Supervisors in 2015, provides residents with free, safe, and convenient ways to dispose of their unwanted and expired medicines.
Since 2017, the Safe Medicine Disposal Program, overseen by SFE, has provided residents with drop-off kiosk locations, mail-back envelopes, and one-day disposal events. This October, SFE will add to the existing drop-off locations with four, no-cost, new safe disposal event opportunities across the city. These events represent an important milestone in the expansion of the Safe Medicine Disposal Program. While the program regularly offers 63 secure kiosk locations and 87 mail-back envelope distribution sites around San Francisco, these new special disposal events center around trusted community spaces with the coordination and supervision of the San Francisco Police Department.
“The Department is excited to be able to bring back drop off events for San Franciscans,” said Tyrone Jue, Director of the San Francisco Environment Department. “Our goal year after year is to increase the capacity and convenience of the program—a program that is by all measures a success: the City has safely disposed of more than 140,000 pounds of medicines. That’s equivalent to ten Cable Cars’ worth of potentially hazardous and toxic materials kept out of our water systems, waste streams, and off the street.”
Residents can drop off medicines of all types, including prescriptions, over the counter, and veterinary medicines in pill, liquid, or cream form. Event dates and locations are listed below:
- Monday, October 14th from 9 am to 1 pm
Palega Park Recreation Center, 500 Felton Street, San Francisco 94134
- Wednesday, October 16th from 1 pm to 5 pm
Mission Dolores Park basketball courts, Church Street and 18th Street, San Francisco 94114
- Monday, October 28th from 9 am to 1 pm
Crane Cove Park, 18th Street and Illinois Street, San Francisco 94158
- Wednesday, October 30th from 1 pm to 5 pm
Crocker Amazon Park Clubhouse parking lot, 799 Moscow Street, San Francisco 94112
The safe collection and disposal of unused pharmaceuticals is essential for public safety and the environment. Unwanted or expired medicines should never be flushed down the toilet or drain or discarded in the trash, recycling, or compost. Unused medicines stored in the home can also be taken for illegal use and resale or mistaken by children as candy or toys. By taking advantage of these special events, you can help protect the environment, reduce prescription drug misuse, and prevent accidental poisoning.
The collection events are offered through San Francisco’s Safe Medicine Disposal Program in partnership with medicine collection program operator Inmar Intelligence, the San Francisco Police Department, the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department, and the San Francisco Environment Department. For information about other safe medicine disposal services that are available year-round or options for disposing other items such as medical sharps, vitamins, or supplements, please visit https://www.sfenvironment.org/meds, call 415-355-3705, or email [email protected].
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Joseph Piasecki, [email protected]