You may be able to find a list of drop-off locations on your city’s Department of Health website. Many times, you’ll need to keep the medication in its original container when you dispose of it. Many pharmacies have secure and anonymous disposal kiosks that you can safely drop your medication into. Remove any labels that have your personal information on them before putting the medicine inside. [3] X Trustworthy Source Consumer Reports Nonprofit organization dedicated to consumer advocacy and product testing Go to source
Only return liquid chemotherapy drugs to a hospital so you don’t expose other people to any chemicals.
There are usually 2 take-back events annually, but there may be more depending on your location. You can dispose of expired or unused prescription or over-the-counter medication at a take-back event. Smaller cities may not have sponsored take-back events. If not, look for another drop-off location in your area.
Contact your city’s waste management service if you aren’t sure when your garbage is regularly collected.
You can try to rip the label off of the bottle, but it may still leave scraps or residue on the bottle. You don’t need to cross off any information on over-the-counter medication.
Never leave the medication in its original packaging since it will be easier for people to find or steal from your trash. Do not recycle the medication bottle when you’re finished since it had contaminants in it.
You can also add salt or flour to disguise the medication. Adding material will help hide the medicine so others don’t know what’s inside the bag.
Avoid using a food container since it’s more likely someone going through your trash will get into your medicine.
