A new MedReturn Box at the Eugene Police Department will help keep local waterways clean by letting residents properly dispose of unwanted or expired medications.
Residents can drop medications off 24 hours a day at the Eugene Police Department headquarters at 300 Country Club Road. MedReturn boxes also are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Lane County Sheriff's Office, 125 E. Eighth Ave., and at the Springfield Justice Center, 230 Fourth Street, in Springfield.
No liquids,creams, thermometers or illegal drugs of any kind are accepted at the dropbox. Private clinics or hospitals may not deposit medications into the box.
Research shows that pharmaceutical compounds exist at trace levels in our environment. Proper disposal of medications helps reduce avoidable poisonings of pets and children, reduces prescription drug abuse and helps keep local waterways clean. Unwanted or expired medications should not be flushed down a drain or toilet. Wastewater treatment plants and septic systems are not designed to remove these compounds from wastewater.