When it comes to confronting water pollution problems, most people only know about the basics of litter prevention. Plastic water bottle pollution, for instance, accounts for some of the worst water pollution in the world, especially in the Pacific Ocean where it harms wildlife. However, there is another type of water pollution that most people who are going green at home don’t even consider, which is water pollution due to improper medication disposal.
Pharmaceutical disposal is often done one way only by most people: flushing extra or expired pills down a sink or toilet. However, this isn’t the only way to throw out old medicine, and in some cases, it shouldn’t be used at all. If you’re unsure of how to dispose of medication, though, you’re in luck. Here’s a handy guide for proper medication disposal around the house:
Check with your doctor on how to dispose of medication.
When you receive a new prescription, be sure to ask your doctor what you should do in the event that you don’t finish using those pills or other substances. Some medications can be safely flushed. Others must be thrown away or returned to a medical office or other organization.
Find out which medications can be flushed.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has resources that explain which drugs can be flushed and which ones need to be disposed of through other means. You can check their website for a full list of safe medications. Certain medications can’t be flushed because they are difficult to clean in the sewage treatment process, so it’s important to follow the directions and avoid contributing to water pollution.
Follow proper disposal techniques when throwing out medicines.
If you decide to throw away medicine instead, make sure to follow these instructions to ensure that children, animals, or even other adults don’t ingest these medications (either on accident or otherwise). Be sure to crush up pills into a fine powder and then place them into an unpalatable substance, like used coffee grounds or kitty litter. Then bag them up and throw them away with the rest of the trash.
Search for Medicine Takeback events in your area.
Medical offices and local government organizations often sponsor medicine takeback days, where they will take any expired or unused medications. Many times, these medicines can be recycled, so they don’t have any negative environmental impact.
Have more questions on how to dispose of medication properly? Leave a comment below.
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