What Not to Flush

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What should you flush? Only human waste and toilet paper.

Never Flush Medications

Please do not dispose of expired or unused medications in the sink or toilet. Wastewater treatment does not completely remove drugs and traces will end up in the San Francisco Bay. Our community offers many safe disposal options for drugs that protect you, your family, and our waterways.

Remove personal information from container labels or combine pills and capsules and seal in a plastic bag. Leave liquids and creams in their original containers (black out personal information) and seal in a plastic bag.

These locations accept both controlled* and non-controlled drugs (home-generated drugs only):

Dublin Police Services, 6361 Clark Avenue, Dublin (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.), plus semi-annual drug take-back events
Pleasanton Police Department, 4833 Bernal Avenue, Pleasanton (24-hour lobby)
San Ramon Police Department, 2401 Crow Canyon Road, San Ramon (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.)

Alameda County Household Hazardous Waste Facilities accept non-controlled drugs only. For information about other Alameda County disposal locations visit Alameda County Environmental Health.

*Controlled drugs include sleeping pills, pain killers, behavioral drugs, cough syrup with codeine, and other drugs with great potential for abuse or addiction (see complete list).

Never Flush Wipes, Diapers, or Feminine Hygiene Products

These products do not disintegrate in water as quickly as toilet paper and often cause clogs in public sewer mains. Put these items in the trash, not the toilet.

See the results when the Water Environment Federation tested so-called flushable products. If wipes can clog large sewer mains, they can definitely clog your home’s sewer lateral, requiring you to pay a plumber to clear the blockage.

Watch the "Wipes Clog Pipes" video, courtesy of Contra Costa Central Sanitary District.

Never Flush Sharps

To protect the workers who handle our trash, it is illegal in California to put medical “sharps” in the trash. Never flush sharps because they can injure wastewater workers. Collect syringes, lancets, and Epi-pens in an approved sharps container (sold at pharmacies and available online). Safe disposal options include:

Alameda County Household Hazardous Waste Facilities
San Ramon Fire Protection District, 1500 Bollinger Canyon Rd., San Ramon
Drug company take-back programs: ask your doctor or see product packaging or website
Sharps mail-back programs: MedPro, Sharps, Inc.

These options are for home-generated sharps only.

Never Flush Hazardous Household Chemicals

Never dump these hazardous wastes into the trash, sink, toilet, gutter, or storm drain:

Batteries, fluorescent lights bulbs and tubes, mercury thermometers, and thermostats
Solvent-based glue, paint, strippers, wood preservatives, and nail polish
Antifreeze, engine cleaners and degreasers, gasoline, and motor oil
Fertilizers and pesticides
Pool and spa water and pool chemicals

Many common products contain hazardous chemicals that can pollute our groundwater, creeks, rivers, and bays. Visit the websites below to learn how to safely recycle or dispose of household hazardous waste.

More Pollution Prevention

Recipes for Environmentally Friendly Household Cleaners

Keep Fats, Oils, and Grease (FOG) Out of Your Sink

Greasy food waste is a leading cause of clogs and costly repairs in the public wastewater system, as well as in private sewer laterals, the pipes that connect homes and businesses to public sewer mains.

To avoid sewage backups, never put fat, oil, or greasy food down the sink. Cooking oil and grease, meat scraps, gravy, mayonnaise, oily salad dressings, and high-fat dairy products can all clog pipes. It doesn't help to use a garbage disposal or rinse with hot water--the grease will harden further down the line.

Wipe greasy pans and dishes with a paper towel and place the towel with food scraps in your green waste cart. The Tri-Valley’s garbage companies will turn your food scraps into productive compost. For details on what you can put in your green waste cart, contact the garbage service for Dublin, San Ramon or Pleasanton.

Collect cooled liquid cooking oil (such as from a deep fryer) in a container with a tight-fitting lid. Bring the container to a collection center for recycling. Find locations at Baywise.org and Re:source by StopWaste.

Motor oil is a toxic waste. Never dump it into sinks, floor drains, storm drains (which flow directly to creeks and the bay), or landfills. Check the websites above for hazardous waste collection centers near you.