Given enough time, pills get crumbly and liquids and capsules lose their potency. It’s a good idea to sort through your medicine cabinet and remove any unused or expired prescriptions.
It’s a sad fact of today, that medicines have become targets of misuse and abuse. Family members and intruders will often check bathroom medicine cabinets, looking for medicines they can use or sell. It’s important to dispose of medicines you no longer need or use. But DON’T JUST FLUSH THEM INTO THE WATER SYSTEM. The best way to remove medicines from your home AND protect the environment is to take them to a take-back event or medication disposal site in your community. If you can’t find one nearby, you can also dispose of them at home with just a couple of extra steps before you put them in the trash. The video below shows you how I do it at my house:
But you don’t have to do it at home. There’s a big take-back event coming up soon: the 8th National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day will be taking place in communities across the nation on Saturday, April 26 from 10 am to 2 pm. It’s a partnership between the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and local law enforcement agencies with participating sites all across the country willing to accept your medicines for disposal, with no fees or questions asked.
To find the nearest participating location to you, go to http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback. You can also call 1-800-882-9539. You can also check with your local community pharmacy for other drug disposal sites and services.
Found some old or outdated medicine you need to get rid of? Great! You can take them directly to a drug take-back site, just in their own pill bottles. But if you need to dispose of your old medicine at home, then BEFORE you put them in the trash, Do This FIRST:
Open your prescription bottles and dump out the pills, mixing them in with kitty litter or used coffee grounds in a container with a secure lid before placing them in your trash. At my house we use “puppy litter” instead. You can meet Clancy and see why we call it “puppy litter” below:
Oh, and about those empty pill bottles you now have? Don’t just pitch them in the trash! Take a moment to PROTECT YOUR PRIVACY first. Use a black marker such as a Sharpie® to mark out any identifying information such as your name, prescription number and the drug name. NOW you can toss ’em.
-Dr. Louise
