How To Safely Dispose Of Medications
D. S. Mitchell
I was getting packed for my third move in two years. I know, too many, too often, but it was a strange set of circumstances and not worth talking about here. Usually I just go into the bathroom and dump the drawers into a box and then sweep the contents of the cabinet shelves into another box, and voila, the bathroom is packed. But, I picked up the first bottle, a bottle of Aspirin and glanced at the expiration date. Holy Moly, it had expired three years ago. That knowledge shook me up a bit. The next bottle, a prescription for Flexeril, was outdated by 10 months. I was two for two. Not good. Next, was a bottle of cough syrup, expired the previous year. I was batting 100%.
If your medicine chest is full of outdated medications or medications you no longer need and you are wondering how to dispose of them I have some information for you. The best option is to use community-based drug disposal programs. Go to the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) website, dea.gov and use their search tool to find an authorized drug disposal collector in your area.
If you don’t find a program in your area call your local police department or country sheriff. Often these law enforcement centers have disposal programs. As a last resort you may be forced to dispose of them yourself. Please do not flush down the toilet, or sink. These toxins are dangerous to animals, fish and water systems.
Many medications include specific disposal instructions, please follow any specific disposal instructions. The FDA advises that if there are no disposal instructions, do as follows: If the medication is tablets, crush thoroughly. If medication is capsules, open capsules and release contents. 1). Mix medication with used coffee grounds, kitty litter or dirt/sand to disguise the medication making it less desirable to children, pets and drug seekers. 2). Place the mixture in a sealable bag, empty can or other container to prevent the medication from leaking out of the garbage bag. 3) Be sure to obliterate any personal information on the prescription bottle to protect your identity and health information.
In my case, when it was all said and done, I had a shopping bag full of outdated and unneeded medications. I guess I am a “closet” hoarder. Or, just inattentive. I decided to call my local police department and see if they had a disposal program. The answering officer said they did indeed offer a safe disposal program. I took my bag of meds into the cop shop where an officer dumped them into a secured bin. The officer told me the drugs “would be incinerated.”
Hope this little piece of life experience helps you think before you just toss medication into the trash, or flush it down the toilet. Be a good citizen, dispose of drugs responsibly.
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Dar
31.) Having that secret place to escape to 32.) “More isn’t always better” 33.) Drawing Smile Faces in the sand 34.) Trains 35.) Habitat For Humanity 36.) Homemade fudge with walnuts 37.) Plaid flannel shirts 38.) Frosted Margarita glasses their rims dusted with salt 39.) XXX’s OOO’s on a letter from Mom 40.) The seventh inning stretch 41.) Changing my hair color 42.) Brew pubs 43.) Bright, cold, autumn days 44.) That first cup of coffee 45.) The sound of a zipper going up or down 46.) Mornings on the boat 47.) Jumping over puddles and not getting your feet wet 48.) Park benches 49.) Candlelight 50.) Finger painting 51.) Sisters, OR 52.) Reading glasses slid to the end of my nose 53.) Cypress trees 54.) My quirky, oddball friends 55.) VIP seats 56.) “I love you” 57.) Having time to check my options 58.) Saturday Night Live with Alec Baldwin doing President Trump 59.) Australia’s Great Barrier Reef 60.) The Statue of Liberty 61.) After dinner walks 62.) Google Maps 63.) No one in the express lane 64.) Yesterday’s meatloaf in today’s sandwich 65.) Amazon 66.) Hugging Teddy after a really bad day 67.) Automatic garage door openers 68.) Hot air balloons over a New Mexico landscape. 69.) The sound of church bells 70.) Planting an avocado seed and watching it grow into a tree 71.) Losing ten pounds 72.) Quiet time 73.) Caramel apples 74.) Biking the prom 75.) Watching a Bumblebee kiss every flower in the garden 76.) Fall leaves gathered in large piles 77.) A thank you note written in calligraphy 78.) “A Separate Peace” by John Knowles 79.) A really funny dirty joke
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