Don't Flush ME
Do you have unused prescription medications? Do you know how to get rid of them?
Dispose of your unused
medications safely:
- BRING YOUR UNUSED MEDICATION TO A LOCKED DROP BOX: Unused prescription medication drop boxes are located at local police stations. Click here for a list of FREE No-Questions Asked Local Lock Boxes, or call 211 for a location near you.
- ATTEND A LOCAL COLLECTION EVENT: Bring unused prescription drugs to the next community Take-Back Event. The next event is taking place October 29th. Click here to find a location by you!
- MAIL IT TO A SAFE DISPOSAL CENTER: Return unused prescriptions in a postage-paid Medication-Return Envelope. Find them online at www.safemeddisposal.com/site.php.
Why not flush them?
Don’t flush unused medications – they end up in our groundwater.
- Flushed drugs aren’t removed in sewage treatment plants or septic tank systems – they enter the soil, rivers, streams and groundwater and can harm fish and other wildlife.
Why not throw them in the trash?
Don’t throw unused prescription medications in the trash – they can end up in the wrong hands.
- Unused, unwanted and expired drugs are a potential source of supply for illegal drug users and are a risk to public health and safety.
- Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including the home medicine cabinet.
Can't get to a drop box, Take-Back event or get a postage-paid Medication-Return Envelope?
Follow these 5 easy steps to dispose of prescription medications at home.
- Remove medication from the original container.
- Place unused medication in a plastic container with kitty litter.
- Add water and mix.
- Tightly close the lid and tape it shut.
- Throw the sealed container in your household trash.
How do I know, and what do I do, when someone has overdosed?
Information on how to recognize if someone may have overdosed, and what do can be found by activating this link.
Don’t
Mix, Don’t Share, Don’t Flush, call 911 when a drug overdose is suspected.
The Don’t Flush ME campaign is an initiative sponsored by Central Public Health District Healthy Maine Partnerships to help educate Maine citizens about the dangers of leaving unused, unwanted or expired medications in the cabinet, or flushing them down the toilet.
The campaign is run in tandem with The National Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Take-Back Day, which was created to give Americans a safe way to dispose of their unused, unwanted or expired prescription drugs.
This campaign was paid for with funding received from the Maine CDC Department of Health and Human Services.
Our local service area includes: Augusta, Chelsea, Farmingdale, Fayette, Gardiner, Hallowell, Litchfield, Manchester, Monmouth, Mount Vernon, Pittston, Randolph, Readfield, Richmond, Vienna, Wayne, West Gardiner, Windsor, Winthrop.
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