The County’s Consumer and Environmental Protection Agency has collected more than 520 tons of sharps and prescription medication since 2017
SANTA CLARA COUNTY, Calif.: On Saturday, April 26, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. the County of Santa Clara’s Consumer and Environmental Protection Agency (CEPA) will host a free prescription drug and sharps Take Back Day. Sharps are disposable hypodermic needles, syringes, lancets, and other medical devices used for self-injection or blood tests. CEPA, the County Public Health Department, and partners encourage the public to make an appointment to dispose of unwanted and expired sharps, tablets, capsules, patches, and other liquid or solid forms of prescription drugs, free of charge.
Members of the community who are interested in participating in the Take Back Day event will need to make an appointment at hhw.santaclaracounty.gov/events/santa-clara-drop-event-426 or by calling (408) 299-7300. For reasons of public safety, the location of the event will be provided once an appointment has been made. This event cannot accept illegal drugs.
“I’m excited to join our community in recognizing Take Back Day, a vital initiative to safely discard unwanted medications and prevent accidental harm or overdose,” said Board President Otto Lee. “Alongside our county’s year-round free disposal options – including drop-off kiosks, community events, and mail-back services – Take Back Day is crucial in keeping our friends, families, and community safe. We at the County are proud to lead efforts in responsible medical disposal, by working with pharmaceutical producers to fund and manage secure collection, transportation, and destruction of unused medication. By offering safe and convenient opportunities like Take Back Day, we are protecting our community members and saving lives.”
“Improper disposal of unwanted medications and sharps is a public hazard that endangers our communities, our pets, and the environment,” said Edgar Nolasco, Director of the County of Santa Clara’s Consumer and Environmental Protection Agency (CEPA). “By taking part in our free Take Back Day, residents become stewards of public health and environmental safety—helping to keep toxic substances out of our water, safeguarding wildlife, and ensuring the resilience of our ecosystems for generations to come.”
CEPA has been working with partners MED-Project and Inmar to help people safely dispose of unwanted drugs and sharps since 2017. During that time, 1.04 million pounds (more than 520 tons) of unwanted drugs and sharps have been collected for proper disposal at Take Back Days and across 100 drop off sites in Santa Clara County.
“That old bottle of pills in your medicine cabinet could hurt someone you love, sparking an addiction or even an overdose. Please dispose of them safely when you no longer need them,” said Dr. Sarah Rudman, Acting Health Officer and Director of the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department. “Public Health helps to collect used needles because it keeps them off the ground and prevents accidental needlesticks. Collecting sharps also prevents reuse that can spread diseases like hepatitis.”
Most people who misuse prescription medication obtain it from a family member or friend. Pharmaceutical drugs can be just as dangerous as street drugs when taken without a prescription or a doctor’s supervision.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 50 percent of Americans take at least one prescription drug. Safe and convenient disposal locations help prevent significant risks to human health and to the environment. Unwanted drugs left in homes can be accidentally ingested or abused by children or adults, increasing the risk of poisoning, addiction, and death. Unwanted drugs inappropriately thrown in the trash or flushed down toilets can leach into the ground and even end up in the water supply.
Sharps hidden in the trash can cause needle pricks and pose a risk of infection to sanitation workers, trash haulers, family, and friends. Sharps should be placed in a biohazard sharps container and taken to a drop-off location for disposal. Sharps should only be used once and discarded immediately to reduce the risk of infection from reuse.
On Saturday, April 26, Take Back Day events will be held across the nation to reduce these risks.
Beyond Take Back Day, there are opportunities to regularly and safely dispose of unneeded sharps and medications at county pharmacies, hospitals, law enforcement agencies, and businesses working to clean out medicine cabinets throughout the year. Anyone who needs information on how to find a drop-off location or how to return unwanted drugs and sharps via a mail back service can visit the sites or call the numbers listed below.
med-projectsantaclara.org or call 844-482-5322 for unwanted medicine
https://med-project.org/locations/santa-clara 844-MED-Project for unwanted sharps
Throughout the year, Public Health’s harm reduction services prevent diseases that can spread through shared sharps. These services are anonymous and confidential. Visit publichealth.santaclaracounty.gov/harm-reduction-program or call 408-792-5529.
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