HOW DO WE SAFELY DISPOSE OF OLD MEDICATIONS?

In addition to helping seniors move, Rose’s Daughters are experts in helping organize, clear, clean and stage the senior’s home for sale.  Here’s what we know about safely disposing of expired or unwanted prescriptions or over-the-counter medications:

Many people deal with old medication by flushing them down the toilet or drain. This is NOT an environmentally safe way to dispose of them.  While formerly considered a way to prevent accidental ingestion, it is now attributed to pollution in wastewater, affecting fish and other aquatic wildlife, and even causing unintentional human exposure to chemicals in medications.

Minnesota’s Office of Environmental Assistance recommends safely disposing of pharmaceuticals in the following way:

• Keep the medicine in the original container, scratching or blocking out the patient’s name and medical information but leaving name of the drug visible.
• Modify the contents to discourage consumption:
• Pills and capsules: partially dissolve in water.
• Liquid medications: add something distasteful to discourage consumption (salt, flour, strong spice, etc.)
• Blister packs: wrap packages of pills in multiple layers of duct tape or other concealing tape.
• Seal and conceal. Tape the lid shut with packing or duct tape and put in a non-transparent bag or container such as an empty yogurt or margarine tub to ensure that the contents cannot be seen.
• Discard the container in your garbage can.  Do NOT place in the recycling bin. Do not conceal medicines in food products because wildlife scavengers could inadvertently consume them.

For more information on disposing of unused ampoules, vials and IV bags and chemotherapy drugs go to www.moea.state.mn.us/hhw/