Medication Disposal | HC DrugFree

The next drive-thru medication and sharps collection will be held on Saturday, October 28, 2023 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Wilde Lake Village Center parking lot.

Free! Fast! Convenient! Open to the public. No need to get out of your vehicle, although walk-ups are welcome.

We will accept prescription and over-the-counter medication, vitamins, veterinary medication, vape devices (with batteries removed), sharps (needles, syringes, EpiPens), and more. When delivering, SHARPS must be separate from other medication/items and in designated sharps containers so no one can be pricked. Pills may remain in bottles. No need to remove labels.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

We need student, adult, and medically-trained (pharmacists, EMTs, nurses, doctors, etc.) volunteers! We have jobs for all ages: young or young-at-heart, standing or seated (please feel free to bring a chair), introverted or extroverted! Plug into our great community with your family/friends, or join us solo and make new friends! Don’t forget: student volunteers are eligible to receive Community Service Hours with mandatory additional forms submitted prior to event. We encourage adults to accompany students. Register below!

Volunteer Registration:

Parent/guardian volunteer agreeing to chaperone their own youth (under 18), register here: Family Volunteer Registration
Youth volunteers (under 18) wanting to attend without a parent/guardian, register here (parent/guardian must complete the registration/waiver for youth under 18): Youth Volunteer Registration
Adult volunteers attending without youth and medically-trained adults, register here: Adult Volunteer Registration

Download Printable Flier

Thank you for attending our medication and sharps collection on Saturday, April 22, 2023. Our volunteers collected 1,234 lbs. of medication (43 bins) in 4 hours. In addition, we collected 23 bins of sharps.

Thank you to the Howard County Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for guarding and transporting all medications to keep our community safe. Thank you to all our volunteers, partners, and funders.

Thanks to our many volunteers, partners, friends, and our amazing community members, we collected 1,234 lbs. of medication (43 white bins), plus 23 red bins of sharps (not included in the weight) in only 4 hours during our semi-annual Drive-Thru Medication & Sharps Collection on National Prescription Take Back Day on April 22, 2023. Enjoy this slideshow which gives a little feel for what the day was like!

For all HC DrugFree events, check this website for COVID and other updates. However, the easiest way to receive all our updates with collection dates, instructions, COVID guidance, etc., is to sign up for our free electronic newsletter at the top of our Homepage.

At HC DrugFree’s drive-thru collections, we take all prescription & over-the-counter medication, sharps (needles, syringes & EpiPens) & vapes. Also, Howard County has 4 medication disposal boxes FOR PILLS ONLY at police sites:

Northern Police District Station, 3410 Courthouse Drive, Ellicott City, 21043
Southern District Station, 11226 Scaggsville Road, Laurel, 20723
Gary Arthur Community Center, 2400 Route 97, Cooksville, 21723 (Call the Center to confirm if accepting medication.)
Community Outreach Building, 10741 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, 21044. (During COVID, may not accept medication.)

If you have sharps (needles, syringes and EpiPens), contact HC DrugFree’s office. Do NOT put them in the boxes. Thank you for keeping us all safe