Free service at Tidelands Health helps community members properly dispose of more than 1,150 pounds of expired medications in 2025

Jan. 7, 2026 
Contact: Dawn Bryant 
Tidelands Health  
(843) 652-1636 
dbryant@tidelandshealth.org 
 
News for Immediate Release: 

Free service at Tidelands Health helps community members properly dispose of more than 1,150 pounds of expired medications in 2025 
Community members properly disposed of more than 1,150 pounds of expired and unneeded medications in 2025 through a free drop-off service at Tidelands Health. 
The amount of prescription and over-the-counter medications collected in the secure MedDrop containers increased by more than 200 pounds from 2024. Tidelands Health started offering the free service in mid-2023 to meet a growing community need for proper medication disposal year-round. 
The MedDrop collection containers, available every day of the week for community members, are near the main entrances at Tidelands Georgetown Memorial Hospital and Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital in Murrells Inlet. 
“Our free medication disposal service continues to grow as more people learn about the MedDrop containers and want to properly dispose of the medications they no longer need,” said Kelly Edwards, pharmacy director at Tidelands Health. “Tidelands Health is proud to offer this free service to our community, and we applaud those using the MedDrop containers for responsibly getting rid of those unneeded medications.” 
Proper disposal helps keep medications from falling into the hands of those who may abuse them and prevents potential environmental contamination through improper disposal in drains.  
Medications collected in the MedDrop containers are sent to Stericycle, a medical waste management company, for proper disposal. 
Prescription and over-the-counter medications are accepted. If you plan to use the MedDrop containers, remember: 

• All medications should be contained in a sealed bottle or jar, especially liquids, creams and ointments.  

• Remove or obscure any personally identifiable information.  

• For safety reasons, the containers cannot accommodate medications with any needles, sharps, aerosols or batteries. 

• MedDrop containers are available near the main entrance of Tidelands Georgetown Memorial Hospital, 606 Black River Road, and Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital, 4070 Highway 17 South in Murrells Inlet.