The lack of a safe and secure disposal method for unwanted medicines in our homes poses a serious concern in our communities.  Drugs that accumulate in our homes can contribute to accidental poisonings and illegitimate access that can lead to abuse.  Medicines that are thrown down the drain or in the garbage may end up in our streams, groundwater and drinking water.  

The Secure Medicine Return Bill will create a cost-effective producer-provided medicine return program that is convenient, safe and secure for residents throughout the state. Medicines will be collected and disposed using the safest technology currently available to help prevent poisonings, misuse, and environmental contamination.

The Secure Medicine Return Bill sets up a shared responsibility approach:

• Producer-Provided Program: The bill sets take-back program requirements, but does not mandate specific methods, allowing producers of prescription and over-the-counter medications the flexibility to use their expertise to create the best program. Producers may work together to create a program, as they do in other countries where similar programs exist, or may create a program on their own. Drug producers will pay for collection, transportation and disposal, so there will be no charge to consumers when returning medicines and no new costs to local governments. The program is expected to have a negligible impact, if any, on the price of medicines – at most one or two pennies per container. (This “producer responsibility” approach is similar to British Columbia’s industry-run program, which has operated for more than 10 years and is funded by an association of over 100 drug companies as a cost of doing business.)
• State Government Oversight: Washington’s Board of Pharmacy will review, approve, and monitor the take-back program. Agency staffing for the program will be minimal, but will provide essential oversight.
• Retailer Involvement: If medicine producers want to offer collection sites in pharmacies, retailers can choose to participate or not. However, results of the pilot project here in Washington and similar programs in British Columbia and Europe, suggest many retail pharmacies will want to voluntarily assist with this customer service.

View the bill summary!

Where's the Bill now?

2009 Legislative Session: The Washington State Legislature convenes on January 12, 2009.  Representative Dawn Morrell will introduce the Secure Medicine Return bill.

2008 Legislative Session:  HB 3064, the Secure Medicine Return Bill, was unanimously voted out of the House Environmental Health Committee on January 30, 2008. It did not make it out of the Appropriations Committee. Click here to read 2008 session info about this bill and download the full length version of the bill.

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