How to dispose of your prescription medicines

Federal and state guidelines on the proper disposal of presciption medications and over the counter medications are available.

Recent news stories reported the discovery of traces of presciption medications in several water supplies and water ways across the country. These have spurred new interest in proper disposal of prescription medications.

A handout from the National Council on Patient Information provides consumers with advice on STORAGE, SAFETY, and PROPER DISPOSAL, developed from federal guidelines.

Here is their advice on proper disposal (in quotes):

• "Take unused, unneeded, or expired prescription drugs out of their original containers and throw them in the trash.
• Mixing prescription drugs with an undesirable substance, such as used coffee grounds or kitty litter, and putting them in impermeable,
  non-descript containers, such as empty cans or sealable bags, will further ensure the drugs are not diverted.
• Flush prescription medications down the toilet only if the label or accompanying patient information specifically instructs doing so.
• Take advantage of community pharmaceutical take-back programs or community solidwaste programs. Where these programs exist, they are a good way to dispose of unused pharmaceuticals."

Source/link/download file: National Council on Patient Information

Other links are:

The Office of National Drug Control Policy

State of Michigan Department of Environmental Quality

State of Connecticut  - Disposal of prescription medications and over the counter (OTC) medications