Why?
Unused or expired medications in the home can be dangerous for many reasons, but mainly because they can lead to accidental poisoning and can be easily misused by friends or family. The removal and disposal of unused medications from the home helps to keep others from accessing these drugs for illegal use or sale, and may prevent overdoses and death.
Prescription medications can also be harmful to the environment if they are thrown in the trash or flushed down the drain. Therefore, it is important to safely and appropriately discard any unwanted or unused medication as soon as possible. Please see the instructions below for what can be disposed and find the location nearest you.
What to bring:
- Prescription medications
- Over-the-counter medications
- Ointments
- Patches
- Non-aerosol sprays
- Creams
- Vials
- Pet medications
- Inhalers
- Please place unused pills into a clear plastic bag (such as ziploc) and dispose of pill bottles or packaging in the recycling or the garbage. Liquids, creams, and sprays can remain in their original container.
What NOT to bring:
- Illegal drugs
- Needles/sharps
- Aerosol cans
- Miscellaneous medical supplies
- Bio-hazardous material (anything containing bodily fluid or blood)
- Personal care products (shampoo, soaps, lotions, sunscreens, etc.)
- Household hazardous waste (paint, pesticides, oil, gas)
- Liquids (cough medicine, OTC liquid, liquid Tylenol, etc.) – this can be disposed of by putting in cat litter (let the litter soak up the medicine), then dispose the litter in the garbage
Drop box locations
| Oak Creek Police Station | 414-762-8200 | 301 W Ryan Rd Oak Creek, WI 53154 |
| South Milwaukee Police Department | 414-768-8060 | 2424 15th Ave South Milwaukee, WI 53172 |
| Cudahy Police Department | 414-769-2260 | 5050 S Lake Dr Cudahy, WI 53110 |
| St. Francis Police Department | 414-481-2232 | 3400 E Howard Ave St Francis, WI 53235 |
| CVS | 414-483-5667 | 5740 S Packard Ave Cudahy, WI 53110 |
| Meijer | 414-501-1700 | 171 W Town Square Way Oak Creek, WI 53154 |