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Q. I asked my pharmacist what to do with outdated prescription medicines and was shocked when he said “flush.” I didn’t, of course. Instead I put them in a container of water to dissolve, keeping it out of reach of my cat.
Then I spread out several sheets of newspaper and “painted” the resulting sludge all over them. After they dried, I tore them up and put them in the trash. Was this a safe way to dispose of them?
A. Your pharmacist was misguided when he suggested flushing pills down the toilet. There is growing concern about pharmaceutical contamination of the water supply.
There is no coordinated system for proper disposal of unused pills. Some communities accept unwanted medications in their hazardous waste collection.
If that’s not feasible, your suggestion seems reasonable. Another reader suggested adding Elmer’s glue to the container and allowing it to set hard before throwing the container in the trash.
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I belong to Group Health Cooperative in Washington State as my insurance, doctor and pharmacy. We have a secure bin in the pharmacy lobby for us to dispose of outdated or unused medications. This is encouraged as a means to keep the various pharmaceuticals out of the water supply, as well as to not have outdated medications in the home. Most pharmacies have a process or place where they dispose of outdated medications. I would think they might be able to assist in the disposal rather than suggesting flushing.
I've taken my old meds to my doctor to dispose of with their hazardous waste.
It is my opinion that city sanitation departments should have a special collection of outdated or unused drugs, the same idea as recycle collections.