Disposal of Unused Medicines: What You Should Know
Learn how to dispose of unused or expired drugs
Video: How to Safely Dispose of Unused or Expired Medicine
Drug disposal options to consider and instructions for getting rid of unused or expired medicines
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Narrator: Unused medicines can spell many things. RISK, if they’re taken by someone they weren’t prescribed for. HARM, if accidentally taken by a child or pet. DANGER, or even death, if not used as directed. Unused or expired medicines may be hiding right in your home. In bathrooms, kitchens, bedrooms, purses, and anywhere you store medicines. So why put your family at risk? Safely dispose of unused or expired medicines before they can do harm. There are many ways to get rid of them. The best option is to find a drug take-back location or use a prepaid drug mail-back envelope. Drug take-back locations can be located at a local pharmacy or a police station. These take-back locations may offer on-site medicine drop-off boxes, mail-back programs, or in-home disposal products. DEA’s web page can help you find a take-back location near you. Just enter your zip code. To use a prepaid drug mail-back envelope, simply fill the envelope with your unused or expired medicine, seal it, and take it to any United States Postal Service office or U.S. Postal Service drop-box. If you don’t have a drug take-back location near you or if prepaid drug mail-back envelopes are not available to you, check the FDA’s Flush List to see if your medicine is on it. Medicines on the Flush List may be especially dangerous with just one dose if they’re taken by children, pets, or others in your home. Flushing certain types of medicines, such as opioids, helps keep everyone safe by making sure these powerful drugs are not accidentally or intentionally swallowed, touched, or misused. Remember, don’t flush any medicine unless it is on the Flush List. If you don’t have a drug take-back location nearby or a prepaid drug mail-back envelope and your medicine is not on the Flush List, you can dispose of it in the trash. For medicines you dispose of in the trash, FDA recommends that you mix them with an unappealing substance such as dirt, cat litter, or used coffee grounds. Don’t crush pills. Then place the mixture in a sealed plastic bag before throwing it away. Scratch out personal information from the prescription label on the empty packaging. For complete details and instructions on safe medicine disposal, visit www.FDA.Gov/DrugDisposal.
How to Safely Dispose of Unused or Expired Medicine
The best way to dispose of most types* of unused or expired medicines (both prescription and over-the-counter) is to immediately use a take-back option.
- drop off the medicine at a drug take-back location, or
- mail your expired or unused medicines using a pre-paid drug mail-back envelope.
If these options are not readily available, follow these guidelines:
- If your medicine is on the FDA flush list, your next best option is to immediately flush these potentially dangerous medicines down the toilet.
- If your medicine is not on the flush list, you should follow these instructions to discard the medicine in your trash at home.
*Check out the Medication Disposal Q&A for more information including how to dispose of needles and syringes. Some products with uncommon dosage forms (e.g., sprays, lozenges) have product-specific disposal instructions. Review the instructions that came with your prescription or contact your health care professional (e.g., pharmacist, doctor) to find out how to properly dispose of these medicines.
Drug Disposal Options Infographic (PDF - 2.3MB)
Use our Safe Opioid Disposal - Remove the Risk Outreach Toolkit, which contains public service announcements (PSAs), social media posts and images, fact sheets, and more, for talking with others about safe opioid disposal