How should this medication be disposed of?

Apparently you have to hide it in your trash…

From the FL EPA

Keep in the original container. This will help identify
the contents if they are accidentally ingested.
2. Mark out your name & prescription number for safety.
3. For pills: add some water or soda to start dissolving
them;
For liquids: add something inedible like cat litter or dirt
4. Close the lid and secure with duct or packing tape
5. Place the bottle(s) inside an opaque (non see-through) container like a detergent container.
6. Tape that container closed.
7. Hide the container in the trash. Do not put it in the
recycle bin.

Where are you? In California, you can take medicine to be disposed to the police department. Please don’t put it in the trash, that juts adds to problems at the disposal site.

@zenvelo -I am in Michigan.I want this stuff gone and will make a few calls today.I just don’t know where to start.Stangely enough,the doctor’s and the pharmacy that supplied it are of no help.

What a great problem to have, though. Hooray for you!

@WasCy—Thanks! I am on cloud nine,believe me! This stuff hurt like hell too!
I called my policeman friend who told me that I could take it to the closest hospital for disposal.Why I didn’t think of that,i will nevah knoooooow.Lack of coffee,maybe? ;)

Just had this come up recently in NY. The County Sheriff’s office is working on a program to address this. Other than that, our public works office said throw them away.
@lucillelucillelucille Friggin great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@Adirondackwannabe -Thanks,A!
I spoke too soon.The hospital no longer accepts old meds….sigh

@lucillelucillelucille That’s nuts. The sellers should have to take it back if it’s not needed. How do they dispose of their excess or outdated stuff?

@Adirondackwannabe -Who knows? This med comes from a company based in Israel,so I don’t think I will be dropping it off anytime soon.I e-mailed the health dept in my county so hopefully they will get back to me in a timely manner or I will TP their building.;)

I found this really interesting service Take Back Express that recycles medication. You can mail it in.

Edit: They have an interactive map with drop-off locations. They don’t appear to have any in Michigan at this time, but there are places in adjacent states, and if you are planning a car trip in the future, perhaps a detour could happen.

The National Council of State Legislatures has as summary of drug disposal laws. It looks like for MI you can donate them to the Department of Corrections.

@lucillelucillelucille I think if the health dept knows what’s good for them they will take it. It’s really nice to see you so full of it. :)

@Adirondackwannabe – XD

I have no idea, i’d just like to say that however it’s done, it should be with a great big smile on your face :¬)

@ucme -Thanks! You’re sweet…and yes,I am very smiley today :) Everyday,actually

This is the response I got from the health dept…
In answer to your question about disposal of injectable meds, persons with empty syringes are told to place in a sturdy plastic, non transparent container (such as detergent bottle), tape the top securely and place in trash.

Do not know if the same holds true for syringes that contain medication.

Suggest you contact Hospital. They have a program if you purchase their container, they will accept your empty syringes, but again don’t know if this is true for meds too.

Sorry can’t be of more help.

The hospital has no such program

This is still nuts. If you buy a car battery, you have to pay a deposit (in NY), if you buy tires, there’s a five dollar tire return fee, and garages have to take used oil back. Why nothing for meds and sharps?

@Adirondackwannabe -Perhaps I should join a dart league….

A great idea for a new product. A feather kit to turn syringes into darts. I think that would sell if we could get Billy Ray to pitch it.

@Adirondackwannabe Billy Bob Thorton or forget it!

Is it too much medication to just remove the lids and pour out the contents? I flush pills down the toilet when they are out of date or not needed anymore; I would think you might be able to do the same with liquid meds?
And YAY you for not needing it anymore!!

@VS You’re not supposed to flush any medicine down the toilet. It ends up in the rivers. And there are detectable levels of a lot of meds already in the rivers.

@Adirondackwannabe from the US Health & Human Services website under the auspices of the Food & Drug Administration the following:

“We are aware of recent reports that have noted trace amounts of medicines in the water system. The majority of medicines found in the water system are a result of the body’s natural routes of drug elimination (in urine or feces). Scientists, to date, have found no evidence of harmful effects to human health from medicines in the environment.
Disposal of these select, few medicines by flushing contributes only a small fraction of the total amount medicine found in the water. FDA believes that any potential risk to people and the environment from flushing this small, select list of medicines is outweighed by the real possibility of life-threatening risks from accidental ingestion of these medicines.”

There is also a rather lengthy list of drugs the FDA suggests we flush rather than disposing of by other means as they pose a substantial risk of accidental ingestion.

@VS That’s interesting. Our public health department specifically said do not flush. They were concerned about someone ingesting them and recommended mixing with used cat litter or coffee grounds.

@Adirondackwannabe Mixing drugs with used cat litter or coffee grounds will not usually deter a junky if he is dumpster diving for drugs. And yes, I do know this to be true. It will also not keep a small child from ingesting something “yucky” either. I just have a thing about not leaving pills in any usable form particularly if they are something like sleeping pills, pain pills, or other class III or IV drugs. I guess you could mix them in water and dissolve them and then put them in the trash, but flushing seems to be a better thing to do.

Try calling a pharmacy. Maybe they’ll have some suggestions. There are also pharmacies that service nursing homes exclusively.Sort of a “commercial” supplier, not available to the public. I know that some of the drugs they get returned unused have a specific disposal procedure.
If they don’t have any ideas, try their supplier, if they’ll share the company name.
Also, is there a medical waste facility near you? There’s one in my old home town, but NC is probably to far to drive.

PS. Congrats on getting of the meds:)

Does Detroit still operate its resource recovery incinerator? Incinerating this stuff will probably be the safest way to permanently dispose of it, since you’re not getting much assistance from nominal professionals.

But I don’t think that flushing it is going to present much of an environmental problem, either. By the time it goes through a municipal sewer system and treatment facility there’s not going to be much left to the active ingredients. Flushing it into a home septic system would also sequester it pretty well. It’s not going to end up “in the river” for a very long time, if ever, unless it’s dropped into a street drain, which I don’t see you being irresponsible enough to do.

How you tried the city’s toxic material depot?
And shouldn’t the pharmacies tell people where to take it if they don’t take it?
Wonderful that you don’t need them anymore.