California’s recycling regulator is turning up the heat on one of the state’s key drug disposal players, moving to hit the Drug Takeback Solutions Foundation with a $3.4 million administrative penalty over alleged stewardship failures. At the same time, the foundation is preparing to shut down its California operations in 2026, leaving residents and pharmacies wondering who will handle unwanted meds and used sharps once those programs go dark on June 30, 2026.
The accusation and the amount
CalRecycle has filed an administrative accusation seeking 3.4 million dollars in penalties, split evenly between the foundation’s pharmaceutical stewardship program and its home-generated sharps program, for alleged violations in 2022 and 2023, according to Action News Now. The outlet reports that CalRecycle alleges repeated failures to meet program requirements and quoted Mark de Bie, the agency’s deputy director for the Division of Waste Permitting, Compliance and Mitigation, saying the state "will hold organizations accountable when they fail to meet their obligations to consumers and the law."
State records show the foundation will stop service
CalRecycle’s own program page shows this fight has a built-in end date. The agency says the Drug Takeback Solutions Foundation notified staff on January 26 that it plans to terminate its stewardship plans for covered drugs and home-generated sharps on June 30 and that staff have been reviewing the group’s annual reports and budgets. Public notices indicate the foundation’s 2023 and 2024 annual reports were tagged for disapproval and follow-up review as CalRecycle evaluated compliance and implementation. According to CalRecycle, those reports and staff analyses remain part of the public record.
How the law works
California’s pharmaceutical and sharps stewardship law puts the financial burden on manufacturers, requiring them to fund statewide programs that offer free and convenient disposal options for household medications and sharps. The statute gives CalRecycle authority to approve, disapprove, or require changes to stewardship plans, and to step in when programs are not up to par. Enforcement tools include orders to fix violations and civil penalties, with regulators weighing the seriousness of violations, an operator’s compliance history, and its ability to pay when deciding on fines. For a rundown of the statute and the enforcement framework, see The National Law Review.
What the foundation can do next
The Drug Takeback Solutions Foundation is not out of options yet. It can respond to CalRecycle’s accusation and request an administrative hearing to contest the allegations and the proposed penalty, according to Action News Now. Whether the foundation decides to fight the case or focus on an orderly wind-down after its June 30 notice, the looming issue for Californians is how existing drop-off networks and mail-back services will be kept running.
Where to take medicines and sharps
For now, CalRecycle is steering residents toward other options. The agency’s program page directs people to MED-Project and state resources to find approved collection sites, request free sharps mailers, or track down other mail-back services. It also lists statewide help lines and websites that consumers can use to locate safe disposal locations. For current site listings and contact information, see CalRecycle.
Legal implications
If CalRecycle ultimately imposes penalties, that decision is not necessarily the last word. It can be appealed and is subject to administrative hearing procedures and judicial review. State law spells out CalRecycle’s authority to order corrective action, revoke or terminate stewardship plans, and assess fines. The relevant provisions governing stewardship programs and the agency’s enforcement powers appear in the California Public Resources Code; see Public Resources Code §42032 on Justia for the statutory framework.
