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Clean Out Your Medicine Cabinet

Safely dispose of unused and expired medications at a national 'Drug Take Back Day' location on April 28

by: Melissa Stanton | from: AARP | Updated March 2012

If your medicine cabinet is filled with prescriptions and other medications you no longer use, Saturday, April 28, would be a good day to do some cleaning.

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On that day, at locations nationwide from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will be collecting unneeded and expired medicines so they can be disposed of in a safe, legal and eco-friendly way.

Clean Out Your Medicine cabinet and dispose of the medicines properly

Use caution when disposing of old or unneeded medications. — Photo by Jose Luiz Pelaez/Blend Images/Getty Images

For more information and to find a collection site near you (typically at a police station, firehouse, hospital or church), visit the DEA's National Take Back Initiative's website. You can also call 800-882-9539 (press 0 when prompted).

Prescriptions and over-the-counter "solid dosage" medications (i.e., tablets and caplets) will be accepted. Intravenous medicines, needles and illicit drugs, such as marijuana or methamphetamines, are not part of this program.

Participants do not need to give their names, and it's advisable to remove identifying information from any pill bottles you turn in.

Disposal by Flushing

Toxins from drugs that are disposed of into landfills, or down toilets and sinks, can pollute the environment and pose health hazards. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does recommend "disposal by flushing" for certain opioid medications — such as Percocet, Demerol and Dialudid — to protect against the drugs being misused or accidently consumed by children or pets. See a complete list at fda.gov.

This national collection day is the fourth of its kind. Since the first national drug take-back event in September 2010, the DEA has collected more than 498 tons of unneeded medications.

Why you shouldn't toss meds in the trash or down the drain

If you're wondering why the DEA is involved, and why you shouldn't just toss your old prescriptions and over-the-counter drugs into the trash, sink or toilet, consider the following:

Pills that are put in the trash can be easily removed from the garbage by people seeking to illegally use or sell them.
Medications thrown in the trash can also be found and consumed by children or animals.
Chemicals and toxins from drugs that are disposed of into landfills, or down toilets and sinks, can escape into the ground and groundwater, polluting the environment and posing health hazards to humans, plants and wildlife.

Other ways to safely dispose of medicines

If you can't make it to the April 28 event, you can find other pharmaceutical take-back locations and events by visiting the website Earth911.com.
You can contact your state or local department of public works, health or environmental protection for information about how you can properly dispose of medications and medical supplies (such as used needles). Information is also available from SMARxT Disposal, which is a private-public partnership between pharmaceutical associations and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Another solution: Place your unneeded medications in a sealable plastic bag. Pills and tablets should be crushed or dissolved in a small amount of water, and water should be added to liquid medications to dilute their potency. You can mix coffee grounds, kitty litter, sawdust or a similar material into the bag to further degrade the medications. Seal the bag and place it in the trash.

Also of interest: Medications that can cause depression.