Saturday, April 22, is National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, a twice-a-year event created by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The goal is to provide a safe, convenient way to dispose of prescription drugs and educate the public about how medications can be abused if they fall into the wrong hands.
The City of Carlsbad is hosting a special event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the City of Carlsbad Safety Training Center, 5750 Orion St. where Carlsbad residents can safely dispose of their unwanted prescriptions.
Saturday, April 22
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Safety Training Center
5750 Orion Street
If you can’t make it Saturday, the City of Carlsbad also offers a year-round Prescription Drug Drop Box at the Police & Fire Headquarters at 2560 Orion Way.
Citizens can anonymously place their unused prescription medications into the drop box during business hours (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
Do not use the box for over-the-counter medications.
Please remove your prescription medications from their plastic pill bottles and place the pills into a plastic zip lock style baggie. Empty plastic pill bottles can be thrown away at home.
Prescription medications in tubes or liquids should be placed into a baggie in their original container.
Any containers of liquid must be completely sealed.
If needed, plastic zip lock style bags are available at the drop box.
Place prescription medications directly into the drop box.
Sharps disposal
If you have needles, lancets or other medical “sharps,” there are now drop-off bins for sharps at Fire Station 1 (1275 Carlsbad Village Drive) and Fire Station 6 (7201 Rancho Santa Fe). The bins are available 24/7 for residents to anonymously drop off their medical sharps. These are serviced and properly disposed of by Stericycle via incineration.
Carlsbad residents can also dispose of medical needles free of charge at the Palomar Transfer Station at 5960 El Camino Real. The hours are:
Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Saturday – Sunday, 7:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Republic Services also offers simple and convenient sharps disposal services for at-home, tattoo and piercing shops, home care providers, nursing homes, small medical facilities, veterinary clinics, and more. Please call 760-332-6464 to make a request.
