Safely depose of your expired, unused or unwanted medications

Q:           How should I get rid of my old and expired medicines? I don’t want to just flush them down the toilet into the water supply.

There are alternatives now available.

According to a report by Take Back Your Meds, a group of over 270 health organizations, law enforcement, local governments, and environmental groups, nearly one-third of medicines sold to Washington State households go unused yearly. That’s about 33 million containers of pills, just in Washington State.

Keeping unused prescription drugs around your house invites theft, encourages diversion of addictive medications, and poses risks to small children and pets. Removing unused pain pills helps keep habit-forming drugs from entering the lives of your children, grandchildren, and their friends.

Home intruders will seek out bottles of pain medicines on countertops or stored in medicine cabinets, not just flat-screen televisions and laptops. Safe disposal helps avoid contributing to the problem of prescription drug abuse.

One of the safest ways to dispose of expired, unused, or unwanted medicines is to take them to a site participating in a take-back program. You can take your medications to specific events set up for safe disposal or to a drug collection box in a community location.

Starting in September 2010, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) began hosting national prescription drug take-back events in partnership with local law enforcement agencies nationwide. Their goal was to give the public an alternative for disposing of medicines other than putting them in the trash or flushing them down the toilet.

The last Saturday of April and October are National Prescription Drug Take Back Days, where at participating sites, you can bring your medicines for safe, free disposal, no questions asked. Many communities host local take-back events during other times of the year.

On March 22, 2018, Washington State Governor Inslee signed into law the Secure Drug Take-Back Act, the nation’s first statewide comprehensive plan for safe and secure medicine disposal by individuals.

The Secure Drug Take-Back Act established a comprehensive statewide system for year-round access to convenient drop-off sites across the state, including community pharmacies and police agencies volunteering to host a secure drug drop-off box.

Washington State’s Take-Back Act started as a pilot program in King and Snohomish counties called MED-project (Medication Education & Disposal) that placed drug-collection boxes in community centers and public libraries in addition to pharmacy and law enforcement locations. With the Secure Drug Take-Back Act, lawmakers have expanded the project into a statewide system entirely funded by the prescription drug industry.

Unable to get to a take-back site near you? The FDA recommends you remove any potent pain medicines from their original containers and flush them down a sink or toilet. This includes pain pills containing drugs like Vicodin® or hydrocodone, oxycodone, and patches containing fentanyl or Duragesic®.

Although it seems harmful to the environment to flush narcotics, it’s more dangerous to leave them in a trash container, as even part of a pill or a used patch of one of these powerful pain relievers can be lethal to a pet or small child.

Other prescription medicines can be safely disposed of by first removing them from their bottles or boxes and mixing the pills or capsules with something unappealing like kitty litter, coffee grounds, sawdust, or even dirt, then placing them in a leak-proof container like a sturdy zip-lock bag before adding them to your trash bin.

How to Safely Dispose of Leftover, Unwanted or Expired Medicines:

1.            Take unwanted medications to a Take-Back location or event.

The 25th Annual National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is Saturday, October 28, 2023. Participating locations for this event are listed at www.dea.gov/takebackday. For information on local drop-off locations or to order mail-back supplies, call  Washington State's safe drug disposal program at (844) 4-TAKE-BACK or (844) 482-5322 or check online at www.medtakebackwashington.org.

2.            Flush potent pain medicines.

If you can’t get to a take-back location or event, sort out and remove any potent pain medicines such as hydrocodone (Vicodin®), oxycodone (Percocet®), OxyContin®, or fentanyl patches. Flush them down a toilet or sink.

3.            Disguise pills before adding them to your trash.

Mix your non-narcotic prescription pills, vitamins, and supplements with kitty litter, coffee grounds, and even dirt to disguise them before placing them into your trash. Use a plastic container with a secure lid or a heavy plastic zip-lock bag to prevent leakage.

4.            Protect your privacy.

Remove or mark out any personal information and drug names before putting any prescription bottles or boxes into your trash or drug collection box.

Dr. Louise Achey, Doctor of Pharmacy, is a 44-year veteran of pharmacology and author of Why Dogs Can’t Eat Chocolate: How Medicines Work and How YOU Can Take Them Safely. Get clear answers to your medication questions at her website and blog, TheMedicationInsider.com.

2023 Louise Achey