Organized Medication Disposal

Where or how do you dispose of expired or unneeded OTC (over-the-counter) or prescription drugs?

For awhile we were hearing to flush them or put them down the drain, and while this prevents any mis-use of the drugs, it also has adverse effects on water and the wildlife in it. Sometimes it can even cause unintentional ingestion if the water is re-used. (Check the drug information sheet that came with the prescription to see if it is safe to put down the drain.)

So what do we do with them?
According to the Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance, 1.800.657.3864, there are a few steps we can take to safely dispose of our unwanted medications:

1. Keep the medication in it's original container.
   1. Usually the lids are childproof and the content information is still visible. Use a permanent marker or scratch off any personal information. (It is against HIPAA and privacy rules, to simply discard medication bottles into the trash with patient information labels still attached to them.) Do not open any IV bags or ampoules. Wrap in duct tape and go to step 3.
2. Modify the medications to discourage consumption.
   1. Add liquid to solids, add powders (salt, other spices, flour) to liquids, and wrap blister packs in duct tape.
3. Seal and Conceal.
   1. Duct tape the lid closed and then put it in another non-transparent container (yogurt, butter, sour cream, colored bag, etc.) and again duct tape closed.
4. Discard directly into garbage bin.

Two cautions:

• Do not put prescription container in old food because wildlife scavengers might inadvertently consume it.
• Do not put in recycling bin.

Check with your individual state or county for more information on household hazardous waste; what you should do and how they handle it.
Certain drugs, such as those for chemotherapy, and syringes/needles from injectable meds, require special handling. Check with your doctor for proper procedures. It is against the law to discard controlled substances in the regular trash.
Pharmacists are a good resource as well. They can tell you if there are any community pharmaceutical take-back programs near you, both for the drugs and the vials. They can also help you determine the best method of disposal.

Some tips on keeping medication disposal organized:

• Rinse out a few yogurt containers, butter tubs, or other similar plastic non-transparent containers after use. Only a few!
• Keep them in one location along with duct tape, scissors, a permanent marker, and a few plastic bags.
• A basket, a drawer, a box, or a specific shelf works fine.
• Label it your Pharmaceutical Disposal Kit. Print out the above instructions and put them in the kit with the supplies, or tape it to the outside. You could even laminate it for longevity.
• Remember to replenish the supplies every so often.
• Having a specific place for your medication information sheets will also help with your organization. Some options include a file folder, a pocket folder, sheet protectors in a 3-ring binder, or even scanned in and saved to a specific file on your computer. Check out MSDS XChange, to obtain more information or with the specific drug manufacturer.
  • Choose a way of sorting and stick to it. It doesn't really matter whether you choose to file alphabetically, by family member, or by drug class. It's how you will remember, how you would look it up.

Being prepared and organized in the first place will help to prevent you from taking the easy way out when disposing of your expired or unneeded medications.

Posted February 27, 2008, filed in Clutter Hack Links, It's That Time, Clutter Control Products, Clutter Hacks