news-record.com

I have quite a stash of empty pill bottles from the pharmacy. I don’t think they recycle, but can anyone else use them in some way? I’d prefer not to have them go to the landfill.
— Anonymous, Colfax

It’s true. No recycler in Guilford County accepts amber prescription containers. However, medicines that come in labeled No. 1 or No. 2 plastic bottles that have a neck and shoulders (i.e. cough syrups) can be recycled in most municipal programs, said Susan Heim , county environmental services coordinator. Just wash them out before putting them in your bin.
You can try to request recyclable bottles from your pharmacist or reuse some of the bottles around the house to store buttons, nuts and bolts, or other small nonfood items. The News & Record is not aware of any organization that uses old prescription bottles, but you might be able to find veterinarians or charitable organizations that will sterilize and reuse the bottles for pets or Third World missions.