Safe Disposal of Medications
How to Get Rid of Unused Prescription and Over the Counter Drugs
Jun 5, 2009
Before grinding up old medications in the garbage disposal, flushing them down the toilet, pouring liquids down the sink or worse yet, dumping them in the trash can, find out how to dispose of them safely.
For years people have been disposing of their unused medications in this manner and probably never gave it a second thought, but these substances can be toxic to the environment and need to be disposed of correctly.
Government Guidelines for Medication Disposal
The U.S. Government has specific guidelines for safely disposing of medications. The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has a list of medications which indeed can be safely flushed in the toilet. Consult their website ( www.fda.gov) for specifics. These medications are usually labeled by the pharmacy or manufacturer as “safe to flush”, but if they are very old specimens, they may not be labeled as such, or may no longer be safe to flush due to possible chemical changes.
Medications not labeled as “safe to flush” should be disposed of in other ways. One such way is to check and see if the local or county government offers a community take-back drug program. Sanitation and drug safety laws prohibit giving the drugs to others, or returning prescription medications once they have left a pharmacy. Narcotic medications and other controlled substances cannot legally be given to anyone except an officer of the law.
Take-Back Drug Programs
The community take-back programs are usually part of hazardous waste collection events. Some communities have regularly scheduled days for the collection of hazardous waste, but others have them more infrequently. Some may not include a drug take-back program, or only do so on specific days. Check with the local community government household trash and recycling services for specific information.
Some pharmacies are beginning to arrange for medication disposal and some hospitals can provide these services as well. This is a growing issue as the dumping of chemicals into ground water sources has become a known problem for fish, game and domestic animals in particular.
Canadian Disposal Programs
In Canada, organized collection services are available across the country such as the Return Expired Medications program in British Columbia.
In the event that no take-back or collection service is available, the U.S. Government site advises that medications be disposed of as follows:
- Remove the drugs from their original containers.
- Mix the drugs with an undesirable substance such as used coffee grounds or (unused) cat litter.
- Place the medications and this mixture into a disposable container that can be sealed such as zip-lock bag or empty margarine tub.
- Remove or conceal any labels on the prescription bottles such as names, Rx number, and pharmacy. Use a permanent marker or duct tape to conceal the information or scratch off the information or soak the label off.
- Place the above items in the trash.
Be sure to check all medications for the expiration date and discard safely when they expire. Don’t take medications that have expired. Keep all medications away from children, animals or anyone with impaired mental capacities.
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