Recyclopedia helps you find information on how to correctly dispose of unwanted items and materials. Please select the item or material you want to dispose of below. We'll tell you whether it can go out with the trash, in your recycling, to a charity, or if it needs special attention.
Each community has it's own Recyclopedia section. Please type an address or move the red pin to set your location and we'll find your community - or choose your community from the list below the map.
Do not dispose of unwanted medication down the drain, toilet or in the garbage. Many pharmacies will take unused or expired medication for proper disposal.
Left over medicines are a serious problem for Lewis County. They can cause environmental damage if not properly disposed of. When taken by someone other than the person intended, it can lead to overdose and death. The Lewis County Sheriff's Office has a leftover medicine take back program. See details here: http://lewiscountywa.gov/sheriff/safe-option-for-disposal-of-unused-medicines
Thanks to funding from Northwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking (NW HIDTA), we were able to purchase four secure disposal bins. The bins will be located throughout the county at monitored and protected disposal locations. The locations are:
Lewis County Law & Justice Center (inside) 345 W. Main Street, Chehalis
Centralia Police Department (outside) 316 N. Pearl Street, Centralia
Morton Police Department (outside) 260 Main Street, Morton
Sheriff’s Office Packwood Substation (inside) 12990 US Highway 12, Packwood
Medications include prescription or over-the-counter drugs that are outdated, not wanted, or no longer needed. People often inherit prescription or over-the-counter drugs when a relative or friend has passed away.
Why is improper disposal dangerous?
All medications applied or ingested may be excreted or washed into sewage systems and discharged to the environment. The risks posed to humans by long-term consumption of minute quantities of medications in drinking water, as well as the risks to the environment by continual exposure are unknown. Flushing unwanted medications down the toilet or throwing them in the garbage just adds to the problem.
HOW TO SAFELY DISPOSE OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES.
Many pharmacies will collect medications if they:
• Are in the original container with the name of the medicine clearly visible (or if you have loose pills, bring in a zip-lock bag)
• Are in a container that is not leaking and is capable of being sealed
Medicines Accepted
Medicines sold in any form
Prescription medications
Non-prescription (over-the-counter medications)
Controlled substances (such as OxyContin, Ritalin)
Each community has it's own Recyclopedia section. Please type an address or move the red pin to set your location and we'll find your community - or choose your community from the list below the map.
