Dispose Responsibly
Disposing unused medications responsibly is an emerging issue in our society. Many water sources are finding trace amounts of pharmaceuticals in drinking water, which water treatment plants are not equipped to filter. According to the MSNBC.com (Sept. 14, 2008), this problem affects 46 million Americans.
You might think getting rid of unused or expired medications is easy, but depending on the type of drug, security becomes a big problem. Some states have take back programs at the local Public Health Office or pharmacy, but these are far and few between.
What to do with your unused meds
Follow a few small steps in order to make a big difference in keeping our environment clean and family, friends, and pets safe:
- Remove pills from bottle and remove or deface the label
- Mix the medication with an undesirable substance, like coffee grounds or kitty litter, in a sealable plastic bag
- Throw away in household trash
Landfills are typically double or triple lined and monitored for pollution so the likelihood of pharmaceuticals polluting water sources decreases dramatically when they are disposed in the trash compared to being flushed down the toilet and into the sewer systems.
For more information on how to dispose medications responsibly, visit the Smart Disposal: A Prescription for a Healthy Planet site.
