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Entry bubble Proper Prescription Drug Disposal

By: Sommer | April 04, 2008 | Category: Health

A recent study announced that pharmaceuticals like sex hormones, mood stabilizers, and acetaminophen were found in the U.S. drinkingblue pills spilling out of a pill bottle water supply. YIKES! When I read the article, it didn’t really strike close to home, until…

A couple weeks ago when my nesting instinct took me on a trip to the top shelf of my linen closet to a basket full of expired medications and first aid supplies.

So, this was my dilemma; do I contribute further to the problem by just cavalierly tossing the stuff in the trash like I had originally planned? Not if I can help it! But, what do I do? I’ve heard of some prescription drug take back programs but in my search I couldn’t find one in my local area. (I wish I lived in the Great Lakes Region – they’re collecting old pharmaceuticals to commemorate Earth Day – how cool!)

While there's lots of advice on taking meds, from what I could find, there's a lack of clear info about what to do if you no longer need the medicine and have to dispose of it. And, I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m a little confused by the guidance on proper disposal – I’ve read, “Crush Don’t Flush” from the SmaRxt Disposal campaign but the ONDCP says that flushing is appropriate in certain circumstances.

I don’t feel fully comfortable that the instructions I found will completely protect the environment, but I guess it’s better than doing nothing. Here’s how I’ll dispose of my pills:

  1. Remove them from their original containers
  2. Crush the pills and put them in a sealable container – probably a plastic zipper bag
  3. I’ll add coffee grounds to the bag (they recommend mixing the crushed pills with an “undesirable substance”)
  4. Then I’ll throw the bag in the trash.

I’ll also be sure to remove any identifying information from prescription drug containers before I recycle them (if they’re recyclable, of course).

Here are some other resources I found:

| View Comments [6] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: disposal   drug   environment   medication   medicine   prescription   sommer   waste  

Comments (6):

blue comment bubble Posted by dcrider on April 04, 2008 at 09:07 AM EDT

Who can be more qualified to protect our environment than an expecting mom? Kudos to you, Sommer. I like the topics you chose. They are practical and full of useful information. Keep up the good work.

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blue comment bubble Posted by Smart on April 04, 2008 at 08:30 PM EDT

You can get any pills pn then net even on freakin' http://amazon.com these days.

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blue comment bubble Posted by Citizen Jmaximus on April 07, 2008 at 08:45 AM EDT

If it is not filtering out drugs, then other chemicals must be getting through also. There is telling what is in city water that the public is not told about. I am glad I have well water.

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blue comment bubble Posted by PILL DUMPING on April 18, 2008 at 01:42 PM EDT

AS LONG AS YOU DON'T THROUGH THEM OUT THE WINDOW OF A FAST CAR WITH THE POLICE BEHING YOU, YOU MIGHT HAVE TROUBLE... HA HA HA

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blue comment bubble Posted by Joiseyjoe on May 04, 2008 at 07:02 AM EDT

For Summer's article about disposal of med's--why is she adding plastic bags to her landfill-use a bio-degradable piece of paper; such as a newspaper page--wrap and tie it; or put in a cereal box or other bio frendly paper box.

Also "Summer" is not listed as a blogger

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blue comment bubble Posted by Mind-Mart.com on May 26, 2008 at 05:36 PM EDT

This is so important. I recently read an article about drugs being found in drinking water.

http://mind-mart.com/books/a-drinkers-guide-to-pure-water

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