Don’t Flush Your Meds
Written by laurel - who has written 46 posts on Green Thinking Blog.
H. Dale Hall, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, says that “medications that are flushed down the toilet or thrown straight into the garbage can and do find their way into our nation’s waterways every day. Those drugs are present in water that supports many species of fish and other wildlife.” The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) teamed up to raise public awareness about this very real problem.
So what can we do with unused medications? APhA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service say to follow these three easy steps:
1. Do NOT flush your unused medications. The FDA has determined that some medications should be flushed because they have high potential for abuse, but for the most part, avoid flushing them. Read the label on your medications and ask your pharmacist for advice.
2. When you need to toss unused medications, protect your family and pets from potential harm. Follow these guidelines:
- Dissolve medications in water (crush first if they are solid) and add cat litter, sawdust, or coffee grounds (any material that will absorb the medication and be unattractive to children or pets). Place the mixture in a sealed, biodegradable plastic bag before you throw it away.
- Remove and destroy all personal information from the medication container before throwing away. Look into approved state/local collection programs or hazardous waste facilities. Some states allow you to return unused medications to your local pharmacy.
3. Talk to your pharmacist. Pharmacists are medication experts and they can advise you on the best way to dispose of unused medications.
Taking these three steps helps protect your family, prevents illegal distribution of unused medications, and reduces the risk of negative impact on the environment and wildlife.