Unwanted Medications
Where to Drop off Unwanted Medications
Safe and free disposal of unwanted and unused medications is available. Safe disposal reduces risks of accidental poisonings or intentional misuse. It also helps keep medications out of our drinking water, lakes, rivers, streams, and Puget Sound. Remove unwanted and expired medications from your home to reduce risks of accidental poisonings and prescription drug misuse. Learn more about opioid use prevention.
The sites listed below accept prescription medications, including controlled substances*, prescription samples, pet medications, medicated ointments or lotions, inhalers, and liquid medications in leak proof containers. We recommend that you call locations in advance to make sure the hours are current and the drop box is not currently full.
Please note: None of the locations listed accept sharps (needles), thermometers, bloody or infectious wastes, or wastes from medical businesses. If you use sharps, learn how to dispose of them safely.
Medicine mail-back envelopes are also available to safely return unwanted medications. The medicine mail-back envelopes are free, prepaid, and preaddressed. Locations that supply the medicine mail-back envelopes are listed below. You can order free mail-back envelopes for inhalers and pre-filled injectors (including epi-pens and pre-filled syringes) at Mail Back Request Washington or call 844-482-5322 (844-4-TAKE-BACK) (TTY 711).
Medicine Take Back Drop Box Locations and Medicine Mail-Back Supply Locations
| Rite-Aid Stores |
| Safeway Stores |
| Walmart Stores (except Yelm) |
| Bucoda Town Hall (mail-back supply location) 101A East 7th St, Bucoda |
| Costco Pharmacy (mail-back supply location) 1470 Marvin Rd NE, Lacey |
| Hawks Prairie Healthmart (mail-back supply location) 2539 Marvin Rd NE, Suite E, Lacey |
| QFC Pharmacy 4775 Whitman Lane SE, Lacey |
| Rite-Aid 4776 Whitman Lane SE, Lacey |
| Safeway Pharmacy 4700 Yelm Hwy SE, Lacey |
| Safeway Pharmacy 1243 Marvin Rd NE, Lacey |
| Safeway Pharmacy 6200 Pacific Ave SE, Lacey |
| Walmart Pharmacy 5110 Yelm Hwy SE, Lacey |
| Albertsons 3520 Pacific Ave SE, Olympia |
| Evergreen State College Police Department 2731 McCann Plaza Drive NW, Olympia |
| Haggen Pharmacy 1313 Cooper Point Rd SW, Olympia |
| Kaiser Permanente 700 Lilly Rd NE, Olympia |
| Kaiser Permanente - West Olympia 1200 Cooper Point Rd SW, Ste 100, Olympia |
| Olympia Police Department 601 Fourth Ave E, Olympia City Hall Open Monday - Friday, 10am - 3pm |
| Providence St. Peter's Hospital Pharmacy 413 Lilly Rd NE, Olympia |
| Ralph’s Thriftway Pharmacy 1908 Fourth Ave E, Olympia |
| Rite-Aid 305 Cooper Point Rd NW, Ste 103, Olympia |
| Safeway Pharmacy 3215 Harrison Ave NW, Olympia |
| Safeway Pharmacy 4280 Martin Way E |
| SeaMar Community Health Center Pharmacy 3030 Limited Lane NW, Olympia |
| Walgreens 1510 Cooper Point Rd SW, Olympia |
| Rainier City Hall (mail-back supply location) 102 Rochester St W, Rainier |
| Rainier Senior Center (mail-back supply location) 108 Michigan St S, Rainier |
| Tenino City Hall (mail-back supply location) 149 Hodgden St S, Tenino |
| Tenino Police Department (mail-back supply location) 358 McClellen St E, Tenino |
| Costco Pharmacy (mail-back supply location) 5500 Littlerock Rd SW, Tumwater |
| Tumwater Police Department 555 Israel Rd SW, Tumwater Open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day |
| Safeway Pharmacy 520 Cleveland Ave SE, Tumwater |
| Safeway Pharmacy 705 Trosper Rd SW, Tumwater |
| Walmart Pharmacy 5900 Littlerock Rd SW, Tumwater |
| Rite Aid 909 E Yelm Ave, Yelm |
| Safeway Pharmacy 1109 E Yelm Ave, Yelm |
| Tim's Pharmacy & Gift Shop 106 1st St S, Yelm |
Last Resort
If you are unable to make it to one of the drop-off locations, medications can be discarded in your trash. This is not our recommended option, as medications in the trash have the potential for misuse. They can also make their way into the environment when landfill liquids are sent to sewage treatment facilities. If this is your only option, please take the following steps:
- Take your prescription drugs out of their original containers.
- Mix drugs with an undesirable substance, such as cat litter or used coffee grounds.
- Put the mixture into a disposable container with a lid, such as an empty margarine tub, or a sealable bag.
- Conceal or remove any personal information, including Rx number, on the empty containers by covering it with black permanent marker or duct tape, or by scratching it off.
- Place the sealed container with the mixture, and the empty drug containers, in the trash.
If you have additional questions, please call the Solid & Hazardous Waste hotline at 360-867-2664, or visit Safe Medication Return (WA DOH)
Visit medtakebackwashington.org for a list of statewide medication disposal locations.
*Controlled substances are regulated by state and federal laws designed to prevent addiction, abuse, physical and mental harm, and illegal trafficking thereof. Such drugs are illegal for sale or use, with the exception of those dispensed under a physician's prescription for use only by the intended person.
Social Media that has directed you to this web page, has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under assistance agreement PC-01J18001 to the Washington State Department of Health. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Environmental Protection Agency, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.