Prescription Med Disposal Kiosks Close for Improvements

Many of the prescription drop-off kiosks in Santa Barbara County have been temporarily removed for the next few weeks while the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office installs newer, safer, and user-friendlier kiosks, according to a Sheriff’s Office press release. In the meantime, the main disposal kiosk for unwanted prescription medicines remains open at the Sheriff’s Headquarters at 4434 Calle Real.

The nine drop-boxes in Santa Barbara County are part of Operation Medicine Cabinet, a five-year-old program by the Sheriff’s Office and Santa Barbara County Public Works’ Resource Recovery and Waste Management Division. Since its founding, the program has collected and destroyed over 30,000 pounds of unneeded or expired medicine, thereby preventing misuse, overdose, accidental ingestion, and the introduction of prescription drugs into county water supplies.