No Drugs Down The Drain

In response to growing demand for a safe, convenient way to dispose of household medications, the Sheriff’s Office teamed up with County Public Works to install drop-boxes at each of the Sherriff’s substations throughout the County. The program is called Operation Medicine Cabinet.

WHERE TO GO

Residents can drop off all unwanted medications, including prescriptions and over-the-counter drugs in the drop-boxes at the Sherriff’s Office. The boxes are located outside in front of the stations.

Carpinteria – 5775 Carpinteria Avenue
(805) 684-4561

Santa Barbara – 4434 Calle Real
(805) 681-4100

Goleta – 7042 Market Place Drive
(805) 571-1540

WHY SHOULD MEDICATIONS BE DISPOSED PROPERLY?

Unused medications that are flushed down the toilet or placed in drains pass through the sewer system and eventually enter our streams, lakes, and rivers.

Because medications have been detected in small amounts in surface water bodies, the major concerns have been increased bacterial resistance to antibiotics and interference with growth and reproduction in aquatic organisms such as fish and frogs.

The presence of medications in the environment is a complex issue and the level of risk to humans and the environment is still being determined. With tens of thousands of medicinal products currently on the market and with more being developed each year, it is not definitively known which products (or combinations of products) is a problem or what the long-term risks are. However, in order to minimize the potential negative and irreversible impacts on the environment, it is important that we limit the disposal of waste medications to the sewer and dispose them properly.