Posted on Leave a comment

How to Properly Dispose of Your Medicine

We have
a lot of medicine in our homes. Medicine for headaches, fevers,
coughs, colds, stomach aches, allergies, and more. Just like anything
else, this medicine comes with an expiration date. It is important to
know how to properly dispose of your old medication in order to avoid
potential contamination and poisoning.

What
not to do

  • Flush it down the
    toilet.
    Unless
    the medicine’s instructions specifically call for it to be flushed,
    don’t do it. This could pollute your drinking water, as treatment
    stations aren’t very effective at removing these types of chemicals.

  • Throw it straight
    into the garbage.
    You
    are asking for trouble if you take your medicine out of the bottle
    and throw it straight into the garbage. Pets and small children are
    very curious, and could potentially get their hands (or paws) on
    them. People have also been known to rummage through garbage cans
    intentionally searching for medicine.

How
to properly dispose of your medicine

  • Find a local
    takeback pharmacy.
    Plenty
    of facilities exist around the country that will take back your
    unused medicine. Find one near you by clicking here. If you can’t
    find one close you, contact your local law enforcement or the DEA to
    find out about any upcoming takeback programs in your area.
  • If there are no
    medicine recycling centers around you…
    you
    can throw your medicine away, but do it safely. Combine the medicine
    with an undesirable substance (such as coffee grounds or kitty
    litter) and seal them in a plastic bag. This helps prevents children
    and animals from poisoning themselves.
The
pros at 866 We Junk It are experts at all forms of junk removal. We
have helped Long Island and New York City businesses and residents
with all of their junk removal needs for over 20 years. If you are in
need of a dumpster rental, demolition, or clean out services, visit our website or give us a call at (866) 935-8654.