By 2018, 60% of Washington’s population will have access to safe medicine disposal, according to Zero Waste Washington’s press release on medicine stewardship. The Clallam County Board of Health passed a Secure Medicine Return ordinance (PDF) in November and Whatcom County did the same in December 2017. These ordinances require manufacturers to create, fund, and administer secure medicine return, or medicine stewardship, programs in Clallam and Whatcom counties. Manufacturers must submit a stewardship plan to each county for approval within six months of the date of ordinance adoption (Nov. 21, 2017 for Clallam and Dec. 5, 2017 for Whatcom). Once counties approve the plans, manufacturers have three months in which they must begin operating or participating in a stewardship plan.

The Secure Medicine Return regulations are similar to those passed in King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties.