[Cathy in CA]

I want to be an environmentally responsible person and I want to lawful. This week I plan to call the local pharmacy and city dump, but do any of you know how to dispose old meds?Every January, I go through the whole house, purse, travelbags, cars and check any meds- Rx and all OTC, even vitamins. Last year they were all good but this year, I have very old, expired cold remedies and vitamins I tried.I know to not flush them or just toss them in with regular trash. What do you do?

 

[riddick]

Return them back to the pharmacy. . . that's what i do.

 

[Kathleen M.]

I think most pharmacies will take them as they have to dispose of anything that expires while on the shelf there properly.If you want to DIY the usual guideline I see is take it out of the bottle (prescription bottles are pretty easy to identify, mix it with used kitty litter or coffee grounds or any other kind of icky waste and seal the substance and the pills up in a bag then toss it out.

 

[BQ]

I sometimes smash them up with my meat tenderizer and then toss them with the 'wet' garbage. I remove all labels by soaking them lil bottles and toss them out too unless I use them for thumbtacks or paper clips.... (Why do I sound like Heloise???? o-m-g..)

 

[degrassi]

Take them into your pharmacy. They will dispose of them for you. Do not throw them into the garbage or flush them down the toilet/sink. Medications getting into our water systems is becoming an issue, so please let the pharmacy deal with properly disposing of your medications.

 

[BQ]

My pharmacy doesn't take them... so I have no choice.

 

[Kathleen M.]

The FDA does approve of the mix with nasty trash, seal up and put in the trash thing.http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUp...s/ucm101653.htmhttp://www.fda.gov/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/C...s/ucm186187.htmJust if for any reason you can't get them to a pharmacy or they won't take medications from the public where you are.Although a few medications if you cannot find a pharmacy to take them they do recommend flushing them because that will keep them out of the hands of kids and pets better than anything else.

 

[degrassi]

I guess we have different rules in Canada. Here our pharmacies have drug disposal programs. Its hard to believe the FDA is still recommending flushing or throwing medications away.

 

[Kathleen M.]

Wouldn't surprise me if some pharmacies are concerned about liability issues if they dispose of drugs from the public.The vast majority of any drug in the water supply is from human urine and stool. I don't think we want to say anyone who is taking a medication has to have special disposal for their waste.The few they say to flush are ones that if something dug into your trash it might be injured from one dose or a partial dose.

 

[remo]

I don't think there is a universal "correct" answer. When my parents died a few years ago it was up to me to dispose of their old prescription meds. I first took their left over meds to the pharmacy where I had purchased them and was told to flush them down the toilet. Checking with the city water treatment plant they said "No!" go dump them in the trash. A publiction mailed out by the local waste management company said don't put them in the trash but take them to the local household hazardous material disposal location. The household hazmat place said they could not take them and I should take them to the local police department. Local police department said to flush them down the toilet...

 

[BQ]

And round & round we go..... lol @ Remo

 

[ZPE]

Like BQ's, my pharmacy don't want any of the old medicines so in it goes with all the rest of the trash (as advised by them).