Empty prescription pill bottles

What items can we take?

We can take empty #5 plastic prescription pill bottles less than 4 inches in size. Check the bottle to see if there's a 5 in the recycling symbol! All pill bottles should be rinsed and dried, with personal information blacked out or removed. Caps should be left on the bottles!

#5 plastic prescription pill bottles without labels

If you have the lid, please fasten it onto the bottle.

#5 plastic prescription pill bottles with labels

Make sure to black out or remove any personal information. If you have the lid, please fasten it onto the bottle.

#5 plastic prescription pill bottles in various colors

Any color is fine as long as they are transparent and made of #5 plastic!

What isn’t in this category?

We cannot take bottles with medication left inside them. Please recycle any old medication through local medicine disposal programs.

Medicine

Please dispose of medicine through a local medicine take-back program

Bottles with medication left inside

Please dispose of medicine through a local medicine take-back program

Needles and syringes

Please dispose of any medical sharps at a local, secure drop off center.

White plastic pill bottles

Vitamin or over-the-counter bottles

Many curbside recycling programs will take these - check with your local provider!

Glass pill bottles

Check with your curbside recycling provider to see if they can take these

Foil or paper seals

Cotton balls

Empty prescription pill bottles.

66% of American adults use prescription medications, but sadly prescription pill bottles aren't accepted in most curbside recycling programs.

We're partnering with specialty recyclers who can process pill bottles, so that you can feel good about where your old bottles end up!

Partnering with Merlin Plastics

Merlin Plastics, a circular economy-focused plastic recycler servicing the U.S. and Canada, gives used plastic a new life, providing an alternative to virgin resin to be used by plastic manufacturers. Used plastics, like your plastic items collected by Ridwell, are shredded, washed, and pelletized into a post-consumer resin (PCR) at Merlin. Ultimately, PCR is used to make various commercial and industrial products like nursery planting pots, piping, and more. Merlin is committed to circularizing discarded packaging in an environmentally sound, economically efficient, and socially responsible fashion.

Partnering with First Star Recycling

Firstar Fiber (Firstar), dba First Star Recycling, was formed in 1997 with the goal of enhancing Nebraska’s recycling infrastructure. Its Omaha based material recycling facility (MRF) accepts residential and commercial recyclables from throughout the Midwest. In 2023, the company added processing capability to convert hard-to-recycle plastics, such as multi-layered packaging, into feedstock that then can be recycled into a variety of products. This includes Firstar’s own Solution Plastics™, dimensional plastic lumber used by do-it-yourselfers for raised garden beds, benches, fences, patios, and more. Material collected by Ridwell members will be sent to First Star Recycling for the production of their dimensional plastic lumber.

FAQ

Where can I dispose of medicine?

California residents can use this search tool from the Department of Consumer Affairs to find a medicine take-back program!