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It’s likely that you have a stash of medications you don’t use in your home—be it leftover antibiotics, excess painkillers, or outdated vitamins. It’s time to clear them out, and we’ve put together some helpful advice on how to safely dispose of them.
Luckily, National Drug Take Back Day is approaching, with events happening across the country. You can use Google’s tool to find a nearby location. Most take-back events will be held between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on April 30, 2022.
Properly getting rid of unused or expired drugs is more important than many realize. Safe disposal prevents environmental harm and keeps medications out of the wrong hands.
While it might seem like a good idea to hold onto medications for future use, there are significant drawbacks to doing so.
One major issue is the potential for misuse. Though you may not expect it, your child, neighbor, or relative could get their hands on your leftover prescription medications. In fact, many people who abuse prescription drugs often obtain them from family or friends.
Another concern is the possibility of someone accidentally ingesting the wrong medication. Your child might find their way into your medicine cabinet, but another scenario could involve you reaching for one pill in the dark, only to take the wrong one from a similar bottle.
Although expired medications may still work, they are no longer guaranteed to be safe or effective. Expiration dates exist for a reason, as certain medications degrade over time. So, if you take a decade-old allergy pill, don’t expect it to do much for your symptoms.
Properly disposing of medications is essential to avoid these risks.
We’ve put together a guide on how to dispose of drugs safely here. The best method is attending a drug takeback event, specifically designed for this purpose. Typically, the collected medications are incinerated.
If you can’t make it to the national event, there are still alternatives. Some pharmacies accept medications for disposal, and local organizations or even police departments may hold takeback days in your area.
If you need to dispose of a medication quickly, the FDA suggests checking whether it’s on the flush list. Medications on this list can be flushed down the toilet. While this isn’t the most environmentally friendly option—since drugs often aren’t broken down by sewage treatment plants—it can be used in an emergency. Non-flushable drugs should be thrown away according to FDA guidelines, but again, a takeback event is always the preferred method of disposal.
