How to Dispose of Medications
Flushing them is not the answer
 

Tips for you & your neighbors to help
keep our area waterways drug free.

Improper disposal of prescription or over-the-counter drugs adds chemicals to the water supply and/or soil. Though the concentration of these chemicals in surface waters is extremely low, the presence of these substances in the environment is emerging as an important issue. As with any household hazardous waste product, you should not flush these items down the toilet, down the sink, or place in recycling. Proper disposal of unwanted medication is relatively simple.

Check with your pharmacy. Some will accept unused medications and destroy them.

OR

Dispose of unused medications in the trash, but first, make certain that you've taken the necessary precautions to prevent accidental or intentional ingestion by following these simple steps:

• Keep the medications in the original container. Being able to identify the medication could be helpful in case a child or pet accidentally ingests it.

• Mark out all identifying personal information on the prescription label.

• Crush solid mediations or dissolve them in water and mix with kitty litter, sawdust, or anything else that will make the drug unavailable or unappealing for a pet or child to eat. This also works with liquid medications.

• Seal the bottle with the lid.

• Place the medicine bottle in a non-recyclable container before placing in the trash. This will help disguise the medicine.

Related:

• My Flush Counts brochure from HRSD
• What is Stormwater?
• Why is Stormwater Management Important?
• How Can I Help?

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