How to Safely Dispose of Prescription Drugs at Home

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Most of us have pills and other medicines around the house. When those medications expire or are no longer needed, tossing them away is not a good solution. Disposing of prescription medicines improperly, whether in the trash or down the drain, puts the environment at risk and can lead to public health and safety issues. Here’s how to safely dispose of prescription drugs at home, keeping you, your family, and the community at large safe.

Why Proper Disposal Is Important

You may wonder what “health and safety issues” restrict the disposal of prescription drugs by normal means.

Environmental Impact

Why can’t you just pour expired drugs down the drain or dispose of them in a garbage disposal unit? That drain connects with your septic tank or the municipal sewage system. It’s bad enough to send them to your septic tank, potentially killing the bacteria that live there and process waste. When they enter the public water supply, however, they may contaminate it and harm wildlife.

Public Safety

Discarded drugs left with the trash may be discovered by individuals struggling with substance abuse or ingested by children or wildlife unaware of the harm they might cause. This could lead to accidental poisoning or drug abuse.

Health Risks

Expired or unused medications thrown into landfills may degrade into harmful substances over time and enter the ecosystem.

Methods for Safe Disposal

There are several ways to get rid of old, expired, and extra unneeded prescription drugs and similar medications. First, determine if your community has a drug take-back and disposal system in place—local law enforcement agencies usually have a drug disposal container at headquarters. Also, check the Drug Enforcement Agency’s website for locations.

Second, follow FDA protocols for disposal in household trash. The Food and Drug Administration recommends removing medications from the original containers and mixing them with used coffee grounds or cat litter to make them unappealing and unrecognizable. Enclose the substance in a sealable plastic bag or container to prevent leakage, then throw it away. Before recycling or throwing away the bottles that the drugs came in, scratch away or deface all the information on the label.

Finally, utilize in-home drug disposal products like DisposeRx and Deterra. You can pour these commercially available substances onto drugs, rendering them harmless enough for disposal. This might be a better solution if you dispose of drugs often.

Those are just a few ways to safely dispose of prescription drugs at home. Doing this is best for your family and your community. Pharmacists know the best practices for disposing of hazardous drugs, so feel free to ask yours for suggestions, tips, and information.