Look in most any medicine cabinet and you’ll probably find at least one bottle of expired medicine if not more. Medications are considered a “hazardous household waste” because it’s not something that you can just throw in the trash and forget about. Medicines can have an adverse effect on the environment therefore, it’s vital that you dispose of them correctly. So, how do you get rid of old outdated medicine?

First, it’s important to know what happens if you throw your outdated medicines in the trash or if you flush them down the toilet. When you put medicine in the trash it can be absorbed by the soil and become an environmental hazard. You also run the risk of children and animals finding and ingesting them. When you flush medicines down the toilet they could actually end up in the local water supply.

Your best option for properly disposing of outdated medicines is to contact your local pharmacy to find out if they have a recycling program.

Many of them now do and all you have to do is take your expired medicines into the pharmacy and they will dispose of them properly. Many states have local drives set up throughout the year in which they give you a specific time and location where you can turn in your outdated medicines.

Another option may be to contact the local hazardous waste facility to find out if they can advise you of what to do with old medications. You can also use the Internet to search for organizations that collect outdated medicines and either dispose of them or donate them to third world countries. However, before doing this, make sure the organization is a legitimate one.

It’s believed that anything that goes into the trash will eventually end up in the water you drink, food you eat and the air you breathe.

It may take many years but at some point in time, it’ll happen. Therefore, the more you do to prevent hazardous waste from entering the landfills and water supplies the better for everyone.

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