Expired Medications

In the last few years, many newspapers and television stations have reported about the disposal of expired medications. For decades the public was advised to either flush medications down the toilet or put them in the trash. Until recently, scientists have determined that when medications are disposed of in the trash or down the drain, the residual medications find their way into our waterways, and have a negative impact on fish and other aquatic life, including having caused deformities in the sexual development of frogs and fish. Therefore, sewer and trash disposal are no longer recommended.

San Francisco currently has no pharmacies that accept expired or unwanted medication from residents.

Government agencies are hoping to set up "take back" programs at pharmacies so that you can return medications to where you purchased them. Unfortunately establishing these programs is not easy. In addition to concerns about space, there is concern that some medications, namely controlled substances such as barbiturates, opiates and anti-depressants, will tempt some people to steal and/or sell them illegally.

SF Mail-In Program - The City of San Francisco is currently piloting a mail-in program for San Francisco residents only. These pre-paid envelopes can hold both liquid and solid medicine and can be picked up at the following locations:

Department of the Environment
11 Grove Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 355-3700

Recology San Francisco
501 Tunnel Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94134
(415) 330-1400

Contact the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility at (415) 330-1300 for more information.

If you would like to be involved with setting up a take back program at a San Francisco pharmacy, please call the San Francisco Department of the Environment at (415) 355-3700.

If you have sealed or opened medications that are unexpired or up to one year out of date, you may donate the medications to the Recycle AIDS Medication Program (RAMP). This program is not limited to AIDS medications. For more information, visit RAMP or call (415) 285-0606.