Secure Medicine Disposal Survey

About 1/3 of medicines sold to consumers go unused. Stored unused or expired medications contribute to medicine abuse and preventable poisonings in our communities and improper disposal methods adds pharmaceutical pollution in the environment.

The Whatcom County Health Department is conducting this short survey to gain a better understanding of the community’s practice of and attitudes toward storing and disposing of unwanted household medications. This 12 question survey is anonymous and should take approximately 4-6 minutes. We appreciate your time in taking the survey.

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* 1. What is your age?

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* 2. If you have youth (age 21 or younger) in your home, how old are they? (check all that apply)

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* 3. Where do you usually store medicines? (By 'medicines' we mean prescription and over-the-counter drugs, including pills, patches, and liquids. Please include medicines for you and your family members and your pets) Check all that apply.

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* 4. Do you currently have expired, leftover or otherwise unwanted medicines in your home?

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* 5. If yes, why are expired or unwanted medicines in your home? (Check all that apply)

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* 6. What do you usually do with medicines you no longer want or need? (Check all that apply)

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* 7. Have you experienced a situation in which you or someone you know personally had medicines taken from them for use or abuse by someone else? 

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* 8. If there was a convenient location, how likely would you or a household member be to drop off unused or expired medications for free disposal?

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* 9. If you could use a free mailer to dispose of unwanted medications, how likely would you or a household member be to send unused or expired medications in for disposal?

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* 10. Do you think any of the following should be responsible for providing safe disposal options (covering costs) for unused or unwanted medicines?

  Yes No Don't Know
Pharmaceutical companies
State government
County or City jurisdictions

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* 11. Please rank who you think should be primarily responsible for providing safe disposal options (covering costs) for unused or unwanted medicines? (1 - full responsibility, 2 - some responsibility, 3 - little responsibility, no responsibility)

  1 2 3 No responsibility
Pharmaceutical companies
State government
County or City jurisdictions

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* 12. What is your zip code?

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* 13. Comments:

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