Did you know that by throwing unwanted medication in the trash, the drugs could find their way into the wrong hands? Did you also know that flushing unwanted medication down the toilet will cause them to end up in our water supply?
It could be unused prescription medication left over from a previous illness or surgery, expired over-the-counter medicine, or even unwanted medication left behind by an elderly relative. Whatever the case may be, that medication needs to be disposed of correctly.
And there’s good news, National Take Back Day is coming soon.
Take Back Day is scheduled for October 26, 2024, beginning at 10 a.m. It’s a simple process of dropping off unused, unwanted, or expired medications with professionals who know how to dispose of them safely and properly.
The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, sponsored by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), is a nationwide event intended to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible way for people to dispose of unused or expired prescription medications.
Typically held twice a year - in April and October - Take Back Day serves as an important resource in the battle against prescription drug abuse and environmental pollution.
The program accepts most prescription and over-the-counter medications, including tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms of medicine. However, it typically does not accept certain items, such as needles, syringes, and illicit drugs.
Some Take Back Day events also accept vape devices and cartridges, provided the batteries are removed.
There have been a total of 26 National Take Back Days, the most recent was in April of 2024. On that day alone, Texans surrendered a total weight of 44,626 lbs. of drugs.
According to Harley Walts, executive director of Hood County Substance Abuse Council, “On April 26, 2024 we collected over 430 pounds of expired, unused, and unwanted medications from two sites in Hood County. This medication was then disposed of free of charge by Hood County. This is medication that could have ended up in our waterways and in the hands of teenagers and children.”
The Hood County Substance Abuse Council is sponsoring four locations in Hood County. To locate a drop-off location near you on National Take Back Day, visit here.
Why is it so important not to flush unwanted medication?
Because toilets, septic systems and wastewater treatment plants are only designed to handle water, waste, and toilet paper. Flushing medications down the toilet can hurt the environment and possibly endanger public health.
In homes that use septic tanks, prescription and over-the-counter drugs flushed down the toilet can leach into the ground and seep into groundwater, a source of drinking water
In communities where residences are connected to wastewater treatment plants, prescription and over-the-counter drugs flushed down the toilet can pass through the treatment system and enter rivers and lakes.
While water treatment plants can remove some chemicals, wastewater systems are currently not designed to remove pharmaceuticals. The best way to reduce the amount of chemicals in our water is at the source, by not flushing pharmaceuticals.
Go here for more information about pharmaceuticals in the environment and how they negatively affect aquatic ecosystems, including fish and animal populations.
Other methods of disposing of unwanted medication.
If you can’t make it to National Take Back Day, there are other options available.
There are year-round drop-off locations that will take your unused, unwanted, or expired medications. Check here for a location near you.
If there is not one in your immediate area, you can contact your local police department and pharmacies to ask if they will accept them.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), disposing of medication can be done at home by doing the following:
- Remove drugs from their original container.
- Mix drugs with an undesirable substance like cat litter or coffee grounds.
- Place the mixture in a disposable container with a lid or a sealable bag.
- Seal the container with the drug mixture to prevent it from leaking or breaking and place it in the trash.
- Before disposing of the medication bottle, scratch out all identifying information on the bottle to make it unreadable.
By safely disposing of your unused medications, you’re taking an important step toward preventing drug abuse and protecting the environment.