Kansas News: Drug Destruction

March 1, 2006 4:20 pm Topics: Medication collection program disposal

Published in the March 2006 Kansas State Board of Pharmacy Newsletter.

The Board is often asked the best way for patients to dispose of unused or expired medications. There is not an easy answer to this question. In the past the advice was to throw the medication down the toilet, but this is no longer recommended because of the potential for environmental damage. At this time, the best option is to direct the customer to a local hazardous waste facility; however, some waste facilities do not take medicines so you should have an alternative option. If there is a Pharmacy Take-Back program in your area, you could refer the customer to them. The last option is to throw the drugs in
the trash. If you advise them to throw the drugs in the garbage they should follow the following steps to lessen the potential for abuse and privacy issues and to improve safety.
1. Keep the medication in the original container with the childproof lid attached.
2. Remove the patient’s names if they are present on the container.
3. Add a small amount of water to the solid drug or an absorbent material such as Kitty Litter®, sawdust, or flour to liquid drugs before recapping.
4. Adding a nontoxic spice such as cayenne pepper is another idea to make the drugs unpalatable.
5. Double enclose the contained drugs in a bag or any other waste container, such as a brown paper bag, to prevent immediate identification of a drug container.
6. Place medicines in the trash as close to garbage pickup as possible.