How to Safely Store and Dispose of Medications

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How to Safely Store Medications

Store medications in secure locations such as:

  • Lock-boxes
  • Medication Safes
  • Locked cabinets
  • Or other lockable spaces

Avoid storage places where children and others can easily access, such as:

  • Drawers
  • Nightstands
  • Or unlocked kitchen cabinets

How to Dispose of Medications

Once finished with a prescription medication, you have three options for disposal:

  1. Safely dispose of medications by placing them in a local drug drop-box:
    • Lobby of Buncombe Sheriff’s Office – 339 New Leicester Highway, Leicester, NC
    • Lobby of Buncombe County Courthouse – 60 Court Plaza, Asheville, NC
    • Lobby of Asheville Police Department – 100 Court Plaza, Asheville, NC
  2. Take advantage of community drug take-back programs that allow the public to bring unused medications to central locations for proper disposal.
  3. No drop-box or take back near you? Dispose medications safely at home:
    • Remove pills from bottle and mix them with undesirable substances
      such as kitty litter or coffee grounds.
    • Throw away the sealed mixture into the trash.
    • Remove the prescription label and dispose of the empty bottle.