Medicine Disposal

Drop off unused medication at the City of White Bear Lake Public Safety Building:

Public Safely Building
4701 Highway 61
Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Needles, syringes, lancets, and used epinephrine pens are NOT accepted.

Guidelines

1. Keep medicines in their original container for legal transport. Put loose medicines in a clear, resealable plastic bag and label it with the medicine name.
2. Seal all containers in clear, resealable plastic bags, ideally one-gallon or smaller size.
3. ​Place the bag with medicine into the drop box.

Accepted

Medicines from households are accepted in any form including prescription, over the counter, vitamins, supplements, and pet medicines. Examples include:

• Blister packs
• Capsules and pills
• Creams and gels
• EpiPens (unused only)
• Inhalers
• IV bags
• Liquids
• Patches
• Powders
• Sprays
• Vials

Items NOT Accepted

Needles, syringes, lancets, or used epinephrine pens are NOT accepted at the medicine drop-boxes. These items can be taken to a Ramsey County household hazardous waste collection site or the Washington County Environmental Center.

No liquid chemo drugs. Bring them back to your clinic.

Medicines are not accepted from businesses, health care facilities, long-term care facilities, pharmacies, doctors’ offices or veterinary clinics.

Why Use a Medicine Drop Box?

The City of White Bear Lake Police Department partnered with Ramsey County to provide a convenient medicine drop-off location for residents to properly dispose of unwanted medications. Proper disposal of medications is important to help prevent accidental poisoning or abuse and to protect our water resources.

Medicines flushed down the drain or toilet can contaminate our lakes, streams, and groundwater. This is because most municipal wastewater treatment plants and septic systems cannot remove medications from wastewater. Research by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency confirms the presence of pharmaceuticals in Minnesota lakes and rivers, and further studies are being conducted to better understand how these chemicals affect fish and other organisms.

For a full list of medicine drop box locations in Ramsey County, visit RamseyRecycles.com or call 651-633-EASY (3279), answered 24/7.