Thurston County, Washington

The content on the Thurston County website is currently provided in English. We are providing the “Translation” for approximately 10 languages. The goal of the translation is to provide visitors with limited English proficiency to access information on the website in other languages. The translations do not translate all types of documents, and it may not give you an exact translation all the time. The translations are made through an automated process, which may not result in accurate or precise translations, particularly of technical and legal terminology.
County Contacts
Logo

Thurston County Washington

Public Health and Social Services

Unwanted Medications

Where to Drop off Unwanted Medications

Safe and free disposal of unwanted and unused medications is available. Safe disposal reduces risks of accidental poisonings or intentional misuse. It also helps keep medications out of our drinking water, lakes, rivers, streams, and Puget Sound. Remove unwanted and expired medications from your home to reduce risks of accidental poisonings and prescription drug misuse. Learn more about opioid use prevention.

The sites listed below accept prescription medications, including controlled substances*, prescription samples, pet medications, medicated ointments or lotions, inhalers, and liquid medications in leak proof containers. We recommend that you call locations in advance to make sure the hours are current and the drop box is not currently full. 

Please note: None of the locations listed accept sharps (needles), thermometers, bloody or infectious wastes, or wastes from medical businesses. If you use sharps, learn how to dispose of them safely.

Medicine mail-back envelopes are also available to safely return unwanted medications. The medicine mail-back envelopes are free, prepaid, and preaddressed. Locations that supply the medicine mail-back envelopes are listed below. You can order free mail-back envelopes for inhalers and pre-filled injectors (including epi-pens and pre-filled syringes) at Mail Back Request Washington or call 844-482-5322 (844-4-TAKE-BACK) (TTY 711). 

dark blue metal box (MEDProject Drop Box) set up in a pharmacy

Medicine Take Back Drop Box Locations and Medicine Mail-Back Supply Locations

Rite-Aid Stores
Safeway Stores
Walmart Stores (except Yelm)
Bucoda Town Hall (mail-back supply location)
101A East 7th St, Bucoda
Costco Pharmacy (mail-back supply location)
1470 Marvin Rd NE, Lacey
Hawks Prairie Healthmart (mail-back supply location)
2539 Marvin Rd NE, Suite E, Lacey
QFC Pharmacy
4775 Whitman Lane SE, Lacey
Rite-Aid
4776 Whitman Lane SE, Lacey
Safeway Pharmacy
4700 Yelm Hwy SE, Lacey
Safeway Pharmacy
1243 Marvin Rd NE, Lacey
Safeway Pharmacy
6200 Pacific Ave SE, Lacey
Walmart Pharmacy
5110 Yelm Hwy SE, Lacey
Albertsons
3520 Pacific Ave SE, Olympia
Arow Pharmacy 
3007 Limited Ln NW, Olympia
Haggen Pharmacy
1313 Cooper Point Rd SW, Olympia
Kaiser Permanente
700 Lilly Rd NE, Olympia
Olympia Police Department
601 Fourth Ave E, Olympia City Hall
Open Monday - Friday, 10am - 3pm
Providence St. Peter's Hospital Pharmacy
413 Lilly Rd NE, Olympia
Ralph’s Thriftway Pharmacy
1908 Fourth Ave E, Olympia
Rite-Aid
305 Cooper Point Rd NW, Ste 103, Olympia
Safeway Pharmacy
3215 Harrison Ave NW, Olympia
Safeway Pharmacy
4280 Martin Way E
SeaMar Community Health Center Pharmacy
3030 Limited Lane NW, Olympia
Walgreens
1510 Cooper Point Rd SW, Olympia
Rainier City Hall (mail-back supply location)
102 Rochester St W, Rainier
Rainier Senior Center (mail-back supply location)
108 Michigan St S, Rainier
Tenino City Hall (mail-back supply location)
149 Hodgden St S, Tenino
Tenino Police Department (mail-back supply location)
358 McClellen St E, Tenino

 

Costco Pharmacy (mail-back supply location)
5500 Littlerock Rd SW, Tumwater
Tumwater Police Department
555 Israel Rd SW, Tumwater
Open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day
Safeway Pharmacy
520 Cleveland Ave SE, Tumwater
Safeway Pharmacy
705 Trosper Rd SW, Tumwater
Walmart Pharmacy
5900 Littlerock Rd SW, Tumwater
Rite Aid
909 E Yelm Ave, Yelm
Safeway Pharmacy
1109 E Yelm Ave, Yelm
Tim's Pharmacy & Gift Shop
106 1st St S, Yelm

Last Resort

If you are unable to make it to one of the drop-off locations, medications can be discarded in your trash. This is not our recommended option, as medications in the trash have the potential for misuse. They can also make their way into the environment when landfill liquids are sent to sewage treatment facilities. If this is your only option, please take the following steps:

  1. Take your prescription drugs out of their original containers.
  2. Mix drugs with an undesirable substance, such as cat litter or used coffee grounds.
  3. Put the mixture into a disposable container with a lid, such as an empty margarine tub, or a sealable bag.
  4. Conceal or remove any personal information, including Rx number, on the empty containers by covering it with black permanent marker or duct tape, or by scratching it off.
  5. Place the sealed container with the mixture, and the empty drug containers, in the trash.

If you have additional questions, please call the Solid & Hazardous Waste hotline at 360-867-2664, or visit Safe Medication Return (WA DOH) 

 Visit medtakebackwashington.org for a list of statewide medication disposal locations. 

*Controlled substances are regulated by state and federal laws designed to prevent addiction, abuse, physical and mental harm, and illegal trafficking thereof. Such drugs are illegal for sale or use, with the exception of those dispensed under a physician's prescription for use only by the intended person.

Social Media that has directed you to this web page, has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under assistance agreement PC-01J18001 to the Washington State Department of Health. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Environmental Protection Agency, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.