Download the pdf here
Don’t Flush Your Medicines Down the Toilet!
A recent study shows that 80 percent of US streams contain small amounts of human medicines.
You would think everyone would at least say “Don’t Flush”, but it turns out that on the Federal Drug Administration’s website they actually have a list of drugs that they say is OK to flush. I am not real thrilled with that….
The California State Board of Pharmacy published a nice fact sheet and their first recommendation is to dispose of Rx in the trash. They even give step by step instructions on how to dispose medications at home:
While some say drugs can be thrown in the trash, I think there is a safer way. Returning your unwanted medicines to a take-back program is the safest and most environmentally protective way to dispose of unused medication. Trash disposal should ONLY be used as a “last resort” option.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has increased focus on this issue by instituting nationwide pharmaceutical “Take Back Days“. By making it easier for people to dispose of their medicines safely, the DEA has collected millions of pounds of drugs as a result of this program. In fact, the DEA and local law enforcement are coordinating a nationwide drug “take-back” day on September 26th from 10 am to 2 pm. This one-day event will provide you with no cost anonymous collection of unwanted and expired medicines. On their website is a search button. Just enter your zip code for the nearest site. I did a 100 mile search of my home and found over 50 take-back sites including Branson, Springfield, Bentonville, Rogers, and Springdale. (Most of these sites are available at anytime.)
Keep drugs out of the wrong hands and out of our waters!