Are unused medications and expired drugs pilling up in your medicine cabinets? How do you usually dispose of them? Ever thought of flushing them down the toilet, pouring them down the sink or simply throwing them in the trash? Please don’t! Such disposal of medicines and prescription drugs is not advisable according to experts.
Medications of any kind are hazardous materials that if improperly disposed of, may lead to several undesirable outcomes such as:
- Increased drug abuse by individuals who may go through your thrash seeking drugs and medications;
- Danger to children who might accidentally ingest these dangerous chemicals;
- In the ground, prescription drugs and medications seep into the soil causing damage to plants and natural minerals;
- Prescription drugs will end up in rivers and lakes where they may be harmful to fish and other wildlife inhabiting these environments;
- And, prescription drugs and medications could eventually wind up in our drinking water supply as indicated in a 2008 report published by USA Today.
In an effort to educate the public and raise awareness on the effects of improperly disposing medications, in 2007 the Food and Drug Administration together with the White House established some guidelines on ‘Proper Disposal of Drugs‘ which are as follows:
How to Dispose of Drugs / Medicines
1. Do not flush prescription drugs down the toilet or drain unless the label or accompanying patient information specifically instructs you to do so.
2. To dispose of prescription drugs not labeled to be flushed, you may be able to take advantage of community drug take‐back programs or other programs such as household hazardous waste collection events that collect drugs at a central location for proper disposal. Call your city or county government’s household trash and recycling service and ask if a drug take‐back program is available in your community.
3. If a drug take‐back or collection program is not available:
- i. Take your prescription drugs out of their original containers.
- ii. Mix drugs with an undesirable substance, such as cat litter or used coffee grounds.
- iii. Put the mixture into a disposable container with a lid, such as an empty margarine tub, or into a seal-able bag.
- iv. Conceal or remove any personal information, including Rx number, on the empty containers by covering it with black permanent marker or duct tape, or by scratching it off.
- v. Place the sealed container with the mixture, and the empty drug containers, in the trash.
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