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Disposing of pharmaceuticals: The garbage can, not the toilet |
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| Photo: MPCA |
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Unused drugs - both prescription and non-prescription - are a major source of water pollution.
Many drugs contain endocrine-disrupting compounds that can interfere with the hormonal systems that regulate the bodily functions of fish and other animals, including humans.
At one time, the standard advice on disposing of medications was: Flush them down the toilet or pour them into a drain. That almost never is the correct means of disposal now.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency recommends you dispose of unneeded drugs this way:
- Keep medications in their original containers. Leave the content information and safety warning intact; scratch out patient identification information.
For pills and capsules, add water to partially dissolve them.
- For liquids, add table salt, flour, charcoal or another substance that will discourage consumption.
- For blister packs, wrap them in opaque tape - such as duct tape - to hide their contents.
- Tape the medicine container shut and put it inside another container such as a yogurt or magarine tub.
- Discard the container with your garbage; don't recycle it.
For more information from the MPCA, click here.
For a very few, very powerful drugs that could be fatal in a single dose, the federal Food and Drug Administration still recommends flushing them down a toilet or pouring them in a drain. For information on those drugs, click here. |