What is the best and safest way to dispose of unused prescription medicine?

Answer 1

Don't flush prescription drugs

So first, it's important to know what NOT to do: don't flush it, no matter whether the medication is a liquid or a solid. The US EPA has deemed flushing expired medications-otherwise known as PPCPs (pharmaceuticals and personal care products) in domestic sewage systems as the "least desirable way to dispose of any drug." According to the EPA, "If you throw your PPCPs down the drain or flush them down the toilet, and if your home is connected to a municipal sewage system, some of the PPCPs would typically be discharged into lakes, rivers, or oceans, because most waste water treatment plants are not designed to remove or destroy PPCPs from wastewater." Studies indicate that domestic septic systems do not destroy PPCPs either. Here in Boulder County , a recent study performed by the US Geological Survey confirmed that prescription and nonprescription drugs were not removed by our water treatment plant.

Research on the effects of PPCPs in our water has focused on hormone disruption in fish and increased resistance to antibiotics due to an abundance of estrogen and antibiotics in the water. The risks posed by other PPCPs are largely unknown and unstudied. The environmental issues could be as varied and diverse as the number of chemicals in use.

So what's the "better than flushing" advice? Local pharmacies tell me state law prohibits them from taking back unused meds for redistribution, so reuse is not an option with them. The best solution, of course, is to avoid waste medications whenever possible, by buying only what you can use or need. The second best option, according to the EPA, is to take medications back to the pharmacy for "safe" disposal. Not all pharmacies are able to accept this material, but I discovered a few, including Kaiser Permanente who will accept unused or outdated prescriptions from their members. Unfortunately, "safe" disposal means incineration, which is not without its serious health concerns.

The Boulder County Household Hazardous Waste Facility will not accept medical waste of any kind, but they and the County Health Dept. suggest a third option, which is to throw away your medications but first render them unusable by putting glue (such as Elmer's) in with the pills and throwing them out in a sealed container.

Answer 2

If it's prescribed, you shouldn't have any left, since prescriptions are supposed to be taken until you are done with the whole amount they are given. If the medication is expired, simply throw it in the garbage, making sure to scratch off any personal information from the container. Since expiration dates apply to only the active ingredient in any medication, once this date is due, the active ingredient is no longer active, and the medication becomes a placebo, mostly a sugar pill. Now if you want to be absolutely safe, flush them down the toilet, it won't hurt nothing.

Answer 3

I work for a doctors office, and have seen that some patients who no longer need that medication return it to the doctor who prescribed it so that it can be donated to those less fortunate.Like sample meds.I think thats a great idea, but check with your dr's office.

Answer 4

Don't flush them. it could affect the water supply. Wrap them up and toss them in your garbage. Returning to the pharmacy may be a good idea, as long as the pharmacist won't sell them for a profit without regard for whether they are any good. Best thing to do is discard them in trash. Don't flush them.

Answer 5

Medicines are considered hazardous waste. Take them to your pharmacy, or go to your local hazardous waste disposal site.

Answer 6

Take it to a pharmacy for free disposal. Most will just put it in with their 'throwaways' and they will not enter the trash/dump cycle.

Answer 7

take it back to the pharmacy and let them dispose of it. that is truly the only proper way to dispose of it.

Answer 8

More important is to get rid of all labels so they don't know what it is and so they don't call for a refill using your information. Then don't destroy your pluming just put it in something else or in old food and discard it in the weekly trash.

Answer 9

Take it back to the chemist, and they will usually dispose of it for you.

Answer 10

you can usually take it back to the pharmacy and they will get rid of it. or if it has a needle then they wont take it and you have to take it either to your doctors/hospital or to the local waste plant