Palo Alto Police Install Medication Disposal Bin at Station

A bin meant for the safe disposal of unwanted prescription and over-the-counter medication was installed by the Palo Alto Police Department, police said earlier this week.

There is no fee for disposal in the bin, which is located in a lobby of the police station at 275 Forest Ave.

Police said the bin was installed earlier this year as part of a joint effort between numerous city and county agencies to discourage people from flushing medications down the drain. The campaign promoted the protection of local water quality and public health.

The bin is equipped to receive any type of medication, police said.

Police are asking people using the bin to consolidate loose pills into a sealed plastic bag. Pills in blister packaging do not need to be unwrapped, police said.

Police are not accepting needles or sharp objects at this location.

Additionally, a bin can also be found at the Regional Water Quality Control Plant at 2501 Embarcadero Rd.

--Bay City News Service, photo courtesy of the Palo Alto Police Department