Today is National Drug Take Back Day (US only)

[LTS3]

Clean out those medicine cabinets and take those expired and no longer needed medications to a collection site for proper disposal. Find a local collection site and what items are not accepted (such as used needles / Sharps and medical devices) at:

Take Back Day

The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient, and anonymous means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse and medications.

takebackday.dea.gov

Can't make it to a collection site today? Search for a collection site at Controlled Substance Public Disposal Locations - Search Utility and drop off your unwanted medications there at your convenience. Typical sites are police stations and pharmacies. Many have drop off bins you can use anonymously.

Live outside the US? Check your local health department for how to dispose of unwanted medication properly and safely.

 

[Willowy]

I'd like to emphasize that, while having a day for it is good for awareness and to get people motivated to clean out their medicine cabinets, it's not necessary to wait for this day every year; almost every pharmacy will take unused drugs to properly dispose of them. Using that link, around here it looks like every pharmacy, but I suppose there may be some that don't so it's good to check.

After my grandpa died, my grandma flushed all his meds. While that does keep them from being used by people they weren't prescribed to, it's not good for the groundwater. So don't do that

 

[MoochNNoodles]

Thank you for posting! I’ve got an old liquid I need to get to one. Surprisingly we only had one come up.

DH needs to find what to do with all his sharps stuff. His migraine med is in one of those prefilled pens and the container is full and waiting. lol

 

[Willowy]

Here's a link for sharps disposal: Home - Safe Needle Disposal

Around here it looks like every Lewis Drug and Hy-Vee pharmacy are disposal locations.

 

[LTS3]

I noticed a red metal Sharps collection bin outside of a local police station recently. It's kind of like a mail box with a door you open and empty your Sharps into. I wouldn't empty a full Sharps container into one of those for obvious safety reasons. Contact a pharmacy for safe disposal.

Some towns have hazardous waste (paint, lawn chemicals, etc) collection days at a specific collection site and sometimes Sharps and medical waste from households are allowed.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

Here's a link for sharps disposal: Home - Safe Needle Disposal

Around here it looks like every Lewis Drug and Hy-Vee pharmacy are disposal locations.

There was a hazardous waste collection at an elementary school about 40 minutes away…TODAY. Otherwise it basically said the landfill. I’m sending it to DH.

I’ll have to ask DH to keep an eye out or ask at the police stations. He is near a couple regularly for work. I can’t recall seeing any at the one station I pass; but it could be around the side since the building is kind of close to the street.