Every 3 months I take the time to clean out both of our medicine cabinets. I look for medication that we no longer use or ones that have passed their expiration dates. This includes OTC over-the-counter and prescription medication. It’s important that we go through these things regularly and to dispose of them properly.
Here’s how you should properly dispose unwanted and expired medication.
Community Take-Back Programs: Some communities offer regular take-back programs that are FREE. You can often find them through various hospitals, clinics, doctor’s offices, fire stations, police departments and through local health agencies.
Trash Disposal: Remove identifying information from the bottle and/or package. Shred labels or heavily blacken out with a marker any info that can identify you. Place medication back into the package. Wrap heavy duty shipping tape or duct tape around the package to make it secure. You don’t want anything leaking or falling out in the trash. You could opt to forgo that step by placing them into a plastic zipper-closure bag. Toss into your trash bag and immediately dispose of that bag in your outside garbage can.
Extra Precaution: The DEA recommends that you place medications in an undesirable substance like used kitty litter, coffee grounds, spoiled food, etc. This will help to keep “other” people and animals from snooping in it.
What Not to Do: You should not dispose medications down a sink drain or toilet unless that’s the ONLY method that’s available to you. Studies have shown that trace amounts of drugs get into our water supply and septic systems. Obviously, this should only be used as a last resort.
The DEA has a lot of great information on their website that you can use to help guide you on cleaning out those medicine cabinets and disposing those expired medications properly. You can check out their Take Back Day program to find locations in your local community that you can use.
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I never thought to place medication in the kitty litter. Usually i try to keep them to give to a doctor or site on a designated disposal day.
The VA has a mailer you can send meds back for free and they dispose of it for you. I put OTC stuff in cat litter and have for years. No one messes with kitty litter! It is good to go through meds I try to a couple times per year.
We do the community take back program a few times a year. It is important to know that putting medications down a toilet or sink is not a good idea. I would not have realized that.
This is a good thing to do. My mother is 90 and I try to go through medication at least a couple times a year. She is really bad she get medication for a problem instead of using it all when she feels better she stops taking it. Then she puts in the cabinet she might need it sometime. She does not listen to take it all! So I go through and get rid of bits and pieces.
Putting it in kitty litter or spoiled food is a good idea. I hadn’t thought of that. When I was a kid it was common practice to flush it down the toilet, and everyone thought they were being so responsible because they were making sure no pet or person got access to it. We were nuts! It just never occurred to people that it was going into the water supply.
This is wonderful helpful advice. I always wanted to know if I was getting rid of my medicine the proper way.
I had not thought of putting them in coffee grounds. That is a good idea to deter anyone or anything to get them.
My local clinic has a take-back day every so often. Best way to get rid of these.