# Dispose of unused and expired medications by tossing into the trash??? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 16, 2014, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dispose-of-unused-and-expired-medications-by-tossing-into-the-trash/690878 "2014-06-16T03:50:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dispose-of-unused-and-expired-medications-by-tossing-into-the-trash/690878/41 "2014-06-19T18:16:14Z")
You might check with your local Environmental Health department at County Government. Our County takes old drugs. Umm. You know what I mean. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2014, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dispose-of-unused-and-expired-medications-by-tossing-into-the-trash/690878/42 "2014-06-21T04:20:32Z")
> [@PurpleClogs](#): > > I’m doing some decluttering. The medicine cabinet is next on my list. I asked my pharmacy if they take old expired pills. She said they’re not allowed to by law. She said some group (can’t remember who) has a take back event twice a year but I just missed it in April. So what is recommended is to take them out of the bottle, toss them in my regular kitchen garbage bag, and dispose of the bottles separately. Seriously? Sounds great for the groundwater! She said that’s why they don’t want you to flush them anymore. I’m not any kind of environmentalist, but this can’t be good. You’d have to have a whole effin’ jillion tons of drugs for it to effect the ground water. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2014, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dispose-of-unused-and-expired-medications-by-tossing-into-the-trash/690878/43 "2014-06-22T03:57:18Z")
> [@handsomeharry](#): > > You’d have to have a whole effin’ jillion tons of drugs for it to effect the ground water. Guess what? It’s been adding up. They find trace elements of drugs in river water regularly. Don’t flush the stuff or pour it down the drain. When my father passed away, I called the state to find out what to do about his leftover medication. At that time, the state of MN had no policy but they suggested that I wrap the bottles thoroughly in duct tape (adding water first to break down the pills), and throw it in the trash. Now, I get to turn it over to the police. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2014, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dispose-of-unused-and-expired-medications-by-tossing-into-the-trash/690878/44 "2014-06-22T05:16:55Z")
When my dad passed away last year and I had a bunch of his old prescriptions to dispose of, I called the pharmacy and they told me they didn’t take them but the police station did. Sure enough, the local police station had a locked box in their lobby where you could drop off drugs. This was in southern/central California. ---
**Author:** ![Clockwork\_Jackal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5e925/32.png) [@Clockwork\_Jackal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clockwork_Jackal)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dispose-of-unused-and-expired-medications-by-tossing-into-the-trash/690878/45 "2014-06-23T05:35:20Z")
What about a deltec home? [http://www.deltechomes.com](http://www.deltechomes.com) ---
**Author:** ![Clockwork\_Jackal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5e925/32.png) [@Clockwork\_Jackal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clockwork_Jackal)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dispose-of-unused-and-expired-medications-by-tossing-into-the-trash/690878/46 "2014-06-23T07:09:06Z")
OMG posted to the wrong thread ON THE WRONG BOARD. Nice. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dispose-of-unused-and-expired-medications-by-tossing-into-the-trash/690878/47 "2014-06-23T11:27:58Z")
People have been complaining about the lack of recycling of useful and often expensive medications for long enough now that there is a movement to blister packs. Because those would be the only ones trusted to be reissued for another’s use. So, even though we all hate blister packs it could mean, in future, unused medications could be donated to aid for poor nations, etc. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dispose-of-unused-and-expired-medications-by-tossing-into-the-trash/690878.md?page=2)