Prescription & Over-the-Counter Drug Disposal

The Kohler Police Department has a secure drug disposal box in its front lobby entrance. The box is available for all prescription drugs and over the counter medication in their original containers. The box cannot be used for illegal drugs, needles, syringes, thermometers, or any hazardous materials. The box was obtained through a partnership with Sheboygan County to keep drugs from being flushed down toilets or dumped into landfills. Please utilize the box for any old drugs to keep them out of the wrong hands and to be disposed of properly as flushing or throwing out old prescription and over-the-counter medications is now actively discouraged by several federal agencies because of potential harm to humans, animals, and the environment.

The improper disposal of medicine down the sink or toilet can cause them to end up in drinking water sources by leaching into the ground and seeping into ground water, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website.

Simply throwing medications into the garbage could also pose a threat to humans and animals, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.

A number of teens believe prescription drugs are easy to get from friends or a family's medicine cabinet and they believe prescription drugs are easier to obtain than illicit drugs, according to the DEA.

Those who would abuse these drugs also often look through garbage to obtain the medicine others throw out, according to the DEA website.

The Kohler Police Department has a drop box in their front lobby for disposal and below is the information you need to dispose of it:

Where?  319 Highland Drive, Kohler, WI 53044

When?    24 hours a day, 365 days a year

What you CAN Drop Off...Prescription drugs and over-the-counter medication in their original containers. Liquid medications must be in original bottles and securely closed. Put the bottle containing liquid in a sealed plastic bag before depositing in the drop box. You can cross out your name and address, but DO NOT cross out the name of the medication.

What you CANNOT Drop Off...Illegal drugs, needles, syringes, thermometers, or any hazardous materials.

EpiPens should be disposed of at the Sheboygan Police Department box, 1315 North 23rd Street, Sheboygan.

Needles can be disposed of at St. Nicholas Hospital's Emergency Department in Sheboygan. They provide a free drop box for contaminated sharps that must be placed in an approved red, plastic, puncture-proof container or a used plastic laundry detergent bottle labeled "sharps" no larger than 11 x 7.5 inches.

If you have thermometers or hazardous waste to dispose of, please contact the Sheboygan County Planning and Resources Department at (920) 459-3060.