Free withdrawal of medicines from private households in Jena

Residual medication must be disposed of correctly. Never dispose of expired or no longer needed medications in the sink or toilet. This creates the danger that active ingredients can get into the waterways through the sewerage system and pollute them. Expensive technologies must be used to remove them.

The Kommunalservice Jena, together with the support of the Zweckverband JenaWasser, has expanded its free take-back system for old medications. For this purpose, pharmacies were offered free medicine barrels or alternatively MediBoxes.



26 pharmacies are now participating in this take-back system, in which the environmentally friendly disposal of expired medicines is organised. Furthermore, Jena citizens can hand in their old medicines free of charge at the recycling yards of the Jena municipal service.

The West-Apotheke in the new domicile August-Bebel-Straße 27b has now been added as the latest collection point. Here you can now expired medications that are no longer required are disposed of in the MediBox free of charge.

What belongs in the container?

• old medicines in the blister (they do not need to be expressed)
• old ointments in tubes
• Cough syrup in a bottle
• Powder or granules in sachets

What does not belong in the container?

• Batteries, fluorescent tubes
• Fine chemicals Reagents and/or acids, bases or alkalis (collection with costs after registration)
• Empty blister (yellow container)
• Syringes, cannulas, cytostatics (disposal via other disposal channels)
• spray can, thermometer
• Label or outer packaging (blue bin)