Drug Take Back!

Saturday, October 26 

10:00 AM—2:00 PM 

SeaTac City Hall Lobby 

The City of SeaTac Police Department and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will provide the public with an opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous drugs. 

• Controlled, non-controlled, and over the counter substances accepted 
• Only pills and patches accepted—no liquids, needles, or sharps 
• This program is free and anonymous—no questions asked or requests for identification 

Participants may dispose of medication in its original container or by removing the medication from its container and disposing of it directly into a disposal box. If an original container is submitted, the individual should be encouraged to remove any identifying information from the prescription label by either removing the label or utilizing a permanent marker.

Why Consider a Drug Take Back Sage Disposal Program?

• Safe disposal to reduce drug abuse. Prescription drug abuse is the fastest-growing drug problem in the country.  In Washington state, almost 11% of teens use medicines for non-medical reasons – a rate that’s among the highest in the nation. The abuse of medicines by teens often results in medical emergencies or fatal overdoses. Most abusers of medicines, including teens, get the drugs from a friend or relative, often without their knowledge and not from a drug dealer.  A safe medicine take-back program gets potentially dangerous leftover drugs out of our homes.

• Safe disposal to reduce accidental poisoning. Unwanted medicines left in the home endanger our children, seniors, and pets. Poisonings from prescription and over-the-counter medicines are increasing. About half of the 37,000 phone calls to the Washington Poison Center concern young children who have been poisoned by medicines found at home. Getting rid of unwanted medicines at a take-back program is an important part of being safe at home.

• Safe disposal to reduce medicines in the environment. Large amounts of medicines go unused or are expired and the way we dispose of them makes a difference for our waters and our environment. For years the advice was to flush our drugs or mix them with kitty litter and throw them in the garbage. Flushing drugs send them directly into our waters, harming the environment. Drugs thrown in the garbage are available for others to take and use and can still get into the environment. Returning medicines to a take-back program is the only environmentally sound method for disposing of unused medicines.