How to Dispose of Expired EMS Medications
There are two concerns when disposing of unused medications. The first consideration is to prevent discarded medicines from being retrieved from the trash, either by humans seeking controlled substances of by scavenging animals.
A second issue is that medications have shown the ability to persist in the environment long after disposal. Further, they have been found to accumulate in the tissue of wildlife, especially fish and marine life.
As a result, there are two conflicting sets of guidelines. Federal guidelines specify certain medicines to be disposed of by flushing, while many state guidelines suggest disposal in trash receptacles for all medicines.
- Difficulty:
- Easy
Instructions
Things You'll Need
- Black permanent marker
- Watertight containers or bag
- Used coffee grounds, cat litter, or other absorbent medium
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1
Determine the if the medication to be disposed of is of a type that the U.S. Government has determined requires flushing. If the drug is on this list, it should be disposed of by emptying the bottle into a toilet and flushing.
For medications not listed on this list, proceed to step 3.
A copy of the list medications requiring flushing is available from the Food and Drug Administration, and is shown in the resources below.
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2
Use a black permanent marker, or other means to obliterate the your name, pharmacy, and medication type from the prescription bottle.
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3
Pour the unused medications into a watertight plastic bag or container. Add a quantity of coffee grounds, cat litter or another undesirable material sufficient to disguise the appearance and scent of the medications.
Dispose the bag in the trash.
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4
Discard the bottle with the label obliterated into a separate trash container.
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1
Tips & Warnings
While the federal guidelines specify flushing for certain drugs, chiefly narcotics, most state environmental regulators disagree with this guideline. Because of the the ability for drugs to persist in the environment, most state regulators recommend discarding all medications as outlined in step 3.
