The Sumner Police Department has partnered with Med-Project to dispose of left-over, unwanted, or expired prescription medicine right here at City Hall. Using the medication disposal bin is a safe way to keep it from being misused or polluting the environment.
Look for the blue bin (shown here) in the first-floor lobby, by the Police Department window. It’s easy–visit us during our open hours and drop your medication into the bin, similar to a postal box. No forms, no paperwork.
City Hall closed on Fridays: Please be aware that City Hall is physically closed on Fridays, and the box will not be available for use. Please visit the drop-box during our open hours, typically Monday through Thursday, 8:00AM to 5:00PM.
When you arrive: Our disposal bin is extremely popular and fills up quickly. Please help us and help others by following these easy steps:
- The police staff may greet you when you arrive. We may ask you or help to ensure that your medication is prepared properly before putting it in the bin.
- Consolidate your pills. Make the medicine bottles full to the top OR place pills into quart-size ziplock bags. (It’s okay to mix pills for this purpose). This will help keep the bin from filling up with extraneous materials. Large packages or bottles could jam the chute.
- Dispose of empty pill bottles or boxes/packaging in the trash or recycling (if accepted by your recycler).
- Blister packs may be left intact, no need to pop out the individual pills.
- If you’re bringing liquid, make sure the lid is tight, and/or place the bottle(s) into ziplock bags.
- If you have a large amount of medication, either call us first or try to bring a little bit at a time (if possible)
Restricted items: Please visit Med-Project’s web site or call us if you have questions regarding what can or cannot go into the bin. Examples of restricted items include:
- Needles/sharps or anything with a needle component
- Inhalers, or other pressurized or combustible items
There may be free mail-back options available for unused auto-injectors and other products. Please visit the Med-Project website for more information.
Disposal of sharps: Used sharps are considered a bio-hazard, and CANNOT be placed into the bin. Take used sharps to an appropriate disposal location. Please visit the Pierce County web site for more information on where to take used sharps.
Brand new sharps, while not necessarily a bio-hazard, are still dangerous, and can be disposed of similarly to used sharps. Or, place them into a rigid, puncture-resistant and sealable container, and then place the entire container into the trash.
If the disposal bin is full/unavailable: There may be times when our bin becomes full and is waiting to be emptied. When this happens, the bin is locked and cannot be opened or used. While we understand the inconvenience, there are several nearby businesses and organizations which also have disposal bins available. Use the Med-Project website to find locations. At the time of this posting, there were nine different medication disposal locations within five miles of Sumner City Hall!
If you want to make sure the bin is open for use before stopping by, or if you have other questions not answered here, feel free to call us during business hours and we will gladly help you.
Contact Us
Sumner Police Department
1104 Maple Street, Sumner WA 98390
Administrative Offices: 253-863-6384
Tip Line: 253-299-5678
Animal Control: 253-299-PETS (7387)