Pharmaceutical Waste:
Disposing of unwanted medications
| What's the problem? |
Expired or unwanted prescription or over-the-counter medications from households have traditionally been disposed of by flushing them down the toilet or a drain. Although this method of disposal prevents immediate accidental ingestion, it can cause pollution in wastewater, which has been demonstrated to cause adverse effects to fish and other aquatic wildlife. When the water is eventually reused, it can also cause unintentional human exposure to chemicals in medications. |
Disposing of medications at home
Your unwanted medications may be disposed of in your trash. Follow these precautions to prevent accidental or intentional ingestion.
| 1. |
Keep the medication in its original container. The labels may contain safety information and
the caps are typically childproof. Leaving the content information clearly visible, scratch the patient's
name out or cover it over with a permanent marker. |
| 2. |
Modify the medications to discourage consumption. |
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- For solid medications, such as pills or capsules: add a small amount of water to at least
partially dissolve them.
- For liquid medications: add enough table salt, flour, charcoal, or nontoxic powdered spice,
such as turmeric or mustard, to make a pungent, unsightly mixture that discourages anyone
from eating it.
- For blister packs: wrap the blister packages containing pills in multiple layers of duct or other opaque tape.
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| 3. |
Seal and conceal. Tape the medication container lid shut with packing or duct tape, place it inside a non-transparent bag or container such as an empty yogurt or margarine tub to ensure the contents cannot be seen. |
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Do Not Conceal medicines in food products because they could be inadvertently consumed by wildlife scavengers. |
| 4. |
Place the container in a sealed plastic bag and discard it in your garbage cart - do not place in the recycling cart. |
Disposing of medications through a mail-back program
Walgreens and some other local pharmacies provide a mail-back service where the consumer purchases a pre-addressed envelope to send the unwanted meds to a facility to be disposed or incinerated.
Disposing of medications at selected pharmacies
Some pharmacies recognize the importance of safety control and dispose of unused medications and offer "self funded" collection programs. You can enter your zip code within the following website (www.disposemymeds.org) to find the closest participating pharmacy offering to expect unused medications. Upon locating the closest participating pharmacy, always contact them directly to insure their participation and individual program guidelines.
Managing other types of pharmaceutical waste
Unused ampoules, vials, and IV bags should not be opened (other than to scratch out the patient's name). Wrap the container with tape to minimize the breakage, then place in an opaque plastic container (such as an empty yogurt or margarine tub). Wrap the outside of the container or bag with additional duct or shipping tape to prevent leakage and further obscure the contents. Dispose of the container in the trash.
Chemotherapy drugs may require special handling. Work with your healthcare provider on proper disposal options for this type of medication.
Safe Disposal Options for Needles and Syringes
| What's the problem? |
It is important to manage and dispose of needles, lancets, and syringes (sharps) safely to prevent injury and disease transmission from needle-sticks. Never leave needles or syringes on streets, in parks, or anywhere else where someone could get injured. |
| 1. |
Storage or destruction of sharps |
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Store at home: Purchase a sharps disposal container from a pharmacy or get an empty laundry detergent bottle with a screw on lid.
- Do not store used sharps in glass bottles, aluminum cans, or coffee cans.
- If you are bringing used sharps to a clinic or hospital collection site or using a mail-back program, follow their requirements, which may include use of a pre-purchased sharps container.
Always keep storage containers for used sharps out of the reach of children. |
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Destroy at home: Devices or containers with mechanisms that bend, break, incinerate (destroy by high heat), or shear needles are called sharps needle destruction devices.
A destruction device that incinerates needles and lancets can be used at home to destroy sharps immediately after use. They use a few seconds of high heat to melt needles and reduce them to BB-size balls. Previously used only in health-care facilities, these devices are now available in smaller, less expensive models for home use. Once the needle or lancet is destroyed by heat in a destruction device, the remaining syringe and melted metal can be safely disposed of in the garbage (not the recycling container).
A needle cutter that automatically stores the cut needles is also useful while away from home when a disposal container is not available. A needle clipper that stores clipped needles should be disposed of at a sharps collection site or through a mail-back program. |
| 2. |
Disposal options |
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Never place containers with used needles or syringes in a recycling bin or loose sharps in the garbage. Use one of the following options to dispose of the used needles, lancets, and syringes. |
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Clinics and Hospital Collection Sites
Some clinics and hospitals have collection programs for needles, lancets and syringes used by their patients at home. If your healthcare provider has a collection program, learn about and follow their instructions for sharps storage and disposal. Do not bring used needles and syringes to your clinic or hospital if they are unable to accept them. |
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Home Needle-destruction Devices
Once the needle or lancet is destroyed by heat in a destruction device, the remaining syringe and melted metal can be safely disposed of in the garbage (not the recycling container). A needle clipper that stores clipped needles should be disposed of at a sharps collection site or through a mail-back program |
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Mail-back Programs
Mail-back disposal programs allow home sharps users to mail used sharps to licensed disposal facilities as a safe disposal option. There is a fee charged for this service. Check with your health care provider or pharmacist, or search the Internet using key words "sharps mailback." |