How to Dispose of Medication

Reader Question: I'm cleaning out my medicine cabinet, but I'm not sure what to do with the expired drugs I want to discard. Should I flush them down the toilet?

Don't flush them! Doing so will increase the trace amounts of prescription and OTC meds making their way into our water supply. Although we'll never get rid of the problem completely (some drugs end up in the water supply because people don't metabolize them completely and the rest is passed in body waste), we don't want to magnify the problem.

Instead, the FDA recommends that you remove unused medication from its original container and mix it with some kitty litter or coffee grounds; the mixture should then be placed in a sealable plastic bag before being tossed in the trash. To protect your own privacy, scratch out personal data on the medication bottle before throwing it out. (Exceptions to the "no flush" rule include narcotics and other controlled substances; the FDA says that flushing is the best way to ensure that no one who shouldn't have them gets them.)



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