How to Properly Dispose of Unused Medications

We've all been there. You open the medicine cabinet and realize there are pill bottles, ointments, and other medications that have been sitting around for who knows how long. While tossing them in the trash is tempting, there are good reasons to look for alternatives.

For example, throwing unneeded or expired medication into the trash increases the risk of accidental poisoning or misuse. Medication can also contaminate the water supply and harm wildlife.

So, what should you do with old meds?

The single best option for getting unwanted or expired medications out of your home is drug take-back locations.

These drug take-back boxes, which can be found at most pharmacies and in the lobby of SVMC, are designed for easy use. You can drop your unused or expired controlled substances, non-controlled substances, or even over-the-counter medications into the one-way medicine drop. 

You do not need to remove personal information before disposing of the prescription medication, but you can if you desire to do so. All take-back box contents are disposed of in a way that protects personal information.

To find a take-back location near you, click here.

If you can't access a take-back location, you can access disposable ship-back envelopes from your provider's office, SVMC, or local law enforcement. Before you consider flushing a medication down the toilet, speak with your pharmacist to see if doing so is safe for the environment.

It's important to note that the FDA, a trusted authority in healthcare, maintains a comprehensive 'flush list'. This list includes all the medications that, as a last resort, may be safely disposed of in this manner.

Because disposing of medicines in this manner raises questions about the potential environmental impact and/or the contamination of surface and drinking water supplies, the FDA only includes medicines that are highly sought-after for their misuse and/or abuse potential as well as those that can result in death from one dose if inappropriately taken on the list.

The FDA believes that the known risk of harm, including toxicity and death, to humans from accidental exposure to medicines on the flush list far outweighs any potential risk to human health and the environment from flushing these unused or expired medicines.  

For information on the FDA’s research re: which drugs to include on the flush list, click here.   

If your medication is not on this list and you’re still unable to access a take-back location or envelope, the FDA recommends following these steps to safely dispose of medication in your home trash.

1. Mix medicines (liquid or pills; do not crush tablets or capsules) with an unappealing substance such as dirt, cat litter, or used coffee grounds

2. Place the mixture in a container such as a sealed plastic bag

3. Throw away the container in your trash at home

4. Delete all personal information on the prescription label of empty medicine bottles or medicine packaging with a black permanent marker or scratching it off, then trash or recycle as appropriate

Robert F. Sherman, Jr. PharmD, MHA, RPh is the Director of Pharmacy Services at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center.