How to Safely Dispose of Your Old Medications
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day
On Saturday, April 27, 2024 - 10AM to 2PM local time, communities will team up with law enforcement to host the next National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) hosts a no-questions asked National Prescription Drug Take-Back event twice per year. On this day, collection sites are set up in local cities throughout the nation for safe disposal of prescription drugs, including opioids. Collection sites may be found at retail, hospital, or clinic pharmacies, or law enforcement facilities.
Drug overdoses skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 105,000 drug overdose deaths were reported in the 12 month period ending Nov. 2023, compared to 69,000 deaths in the 12 months ending October 2019. Disposing of unneeded or expired medications can help to fight this crisis, as many abused prescription drugs are found in the home.
Opioids, including synthetic opioids like illicit fentanyl, were responsible for many of these deaths. In fact, opioids are a factor in 7 out of every 10 overdose deaths.
The DEA wants to ensure the public that there are safe ways to dispose of unwanted prescription drugs, including at-home disposal and year-round collection sites.
- The best way to dispose of most types of unused or expired medicines (both prescription and over the counter) is to drop off the medicine at a drug take back site, location, or program, immediately.
- Typically, DEA sites accept tablets, capsules, patches, and other forms of prescription drugs. Collection sites do not usually accept syringes, sharps, and illicit drugs. Liquid products, such as cough syrup, should remain sealed in their original container with the cap tightly sealed. The events may also accept vaping devices and cartridges provided lithium batteries are removed.
- If you don't have a Take-Back site, check to see if your medicine is on the FDA Flush List. If so, you should flush this dangerous and possibly life-threatening medicine down the toilet. Don’t flush your medicine unless it is on the flush list.
- If the medicine is not on the Flush List, follow these instructions to safely dispose of the medicine in your trash at home. If any questions, call your healthcare provider or pharmacist before disposal.
What is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day?
Opioid abuse in the U.S. remains a top public health concern. The DEA’s “Take-Back” initiative is one of several strategies to reduce prescription drug abuse and diversion in the nation.
During Take-Back Days collection sites are set up in local cities throughout the nation for safe disposal of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs you have at home, including opioids. Other items accepted usually include pet medicines and OTC vitamins. Take Back Days occur each year in October and April.
Beginning with the October 2019 campaign, DEA started accepted vaping devices and cartridges in addition to medications at all of its drop-off locations.
Consumers should dispose of expired, unwanted, or unused medicines as quickly as possible to help reduce accidental or intentional overdoses or illegal abuse.
You can call the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA's) Office of Diversion Control’s Registration Call Center at 1-800-882-9539 or check the DEA's website for authorized collection sites in your area.
The disposal services are free and anonymous for consumers, with no questions asked.
DEA provides a list of permanent (year round) Controlled Substance Public Disposal Locations for use when Take Back Days are not available. Your local pharmacy or law enforcement may have one in your neighborhood. DEA has now registered a record 17,000 pharmacies as authorized collectors to help Americans dispose of unused prescription drugs any day of the year.
Consumers should utilize the guidelines Disposal of Unused Medicines: What You Should Know as posted by the FDA if they are not able to attend a scheduled Take-Back Day or find an authorized drop off location.
Which items are NOT accepted?
Check with the collector ahead of time to determine what items are not accepted. Certain items generally are not accepted at the drop box, such as:
- Syringes, needles or other sharps
- Inhalers, such as those for asthma
- Aerosol cans
- Mercury thermometers
- Iodine-containing medications
- Illegal drugs or substances (including marijuana which is still a schedule 1 drug under federal law), and any prescription medications obtained illegally.
DEA will collect vape pens or other e-cigarette devices from individual consumers only after the batteries are removed from the devices.
Check with your local city or county hazardous waste recycling centers for disposal of items such as mercury or iodine-containing products. Your pharmacy may accept asthma inhalers for recycling.
Can I throw medicine in the trash?
Follow your healthcare provider's instructions specifically for disposing of medicines if these were provided.
Be aware that some medicines should only be flushed when drop off facilities are not available because they are too dangerous to leave in the trash. See the list of drugs that SHOULD be flushed here. Be sure to follow your local community regulations for flushing of medications.
Many medications can be thrown in the trash but you should follow the below steps before disposing of them. Medicines include prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs in pills, liquids, drops, patches, and creams. Look at the package insert of your medication to see if special instructions exist for disposal.
Inhalers for asthma or other breathing conditions could be dangerous if punctured or thrown into a fire or incinerator. To properly dispose of these products and follow local regulations and laws, contact your trash and recycling facility.
If no DEA-authorized collection sites are available, and no Take Back Days are scheduled in your area, you can follow these steps to dispose of most medicines in the household trash:
- Mix medicines with an unpalatable substance such as dirt, used coffee grounds, or kitty litter. Take them out of their original container first. Do not crush tablets or capsules before mixing.
- Place the mixture in a sealed container (sealed plastic bag or empty can) to prevent the drug from leaking into the garbage.
- Throw the container in the trash. Keep the trash away from children and pets.
- When disposing of empty prescription bottles or packages, be sure to mark out identifying personal information to make it unreadable.
Can I flush medicines down the toilet?
Some medications should be flushed down the toilet when Take Back Day or permanent Controlled Substance Public Disposal Locations are not accessible because even one accidental dose could be fatal. These medications may be especially harmful or fatal to children and pets. They are also sought after by people who are looking to abuse or sell these potent, and possibly deadly, medicines.
You can access the FDA list of medications that should be flushed down the toilet at this link. One example is the fentanyl skin patch. The patch delivers strong pain medicine through the skin. After the patch is used it still contains a lot of powerful medicine that could be deadly. That’s why the drug comes with instructions to flush used or leftover patches.
Does flushing medications down the toilet pose a risk to the environment?
FDA has stated that disposal of these select few medicines by flushing down the toilet would only contribute to a small fraction of the total amount of medicine found in surface and drinking water. FDA environmental authorities state most medicines in water are a result of elimination via the body from urine or feces. The FDA and EPA state there has been no indication of environmental effects due to flushing medications.
FDA also states that based on available data, the risk to humans from accidental exposure to these potent medications far outweighs the environmental risk.
Other points for safe drug disposal
- Inhalers and aerosol products can be dangerous if punctured or thrown into a fire or incinerator. Read the handling instructions on your inhaler. As recommended by the FDA, contact your local trash and recycling facility to confirm local laws about disposal of inhalers and aerosols.
- Residents of assisted living communities and skilled nursing facilities and their family members should check with their community health care management team to learn the best way to dispose of used or unneeded medicines.
- Protect your identity. Before you throw away the medication container or bottle, fully mark out any personal information such as your name, address, and prescription number to protect your privacy. Do not place prescription bottles with personal information in collection receptacles or mail-back packages.
DEA began hosting National Prescription Drug Take-Back events in 2010. At the last Take-Back Day in Octber 2023, 4,675 sites across the nation collected unwanted or expired medications totaling 599,897 pounds (300 tons).
See also
- Are expired drugs still safe to take?
- Common Drug Side Effects
- Does grapefruit juice interact with my medications?
- Generic vs Brand Drugs: Your FAQs Answered
- How do I remember to take my medications?
- How do I stop my medication safely?
- Imprint Code FAQs - For Oral Medications
- Injection Types and Sites
- Medical Conversions - How many mL in a teaspoon?
- Pill splitting - Is it safe?
- Top 150 Prescription Abbreviations & Medical Meanings
- Top 5 Ways to Avoid Drug Errors
- Top 9 Ways to Prevent a Deadly Drug Interaction
- What are pharmaceutical salt names?
- What are the risks vs. benefits of medications?
- What is the half-life of a drug?
- What is the placebo effect?
Sources
- DEA Encourages Communities to Make Every Day Take Back Day. US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). https://www.dea.gov/press-releases/2024/01/24/dea-encourages-communities-make-every-day-take-back-day#
- US Dept. of Justice. DEA. Office of Diversion Control. National Take-Back Initiative. Accessed Oct 24, 2023 at https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/
- FDA Moves Forward with Mail-back Envelopes for Opioid Analgesics Dispensed in Outpatient Settings. 4/3/2023. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-moves-forward-mail-back-envelopes-opioid-analgesics-dispensed-outpatient-settings
- Ahmad FB, Cisewski JA, Rossen LM, Sutton P. Provisional drug overdose death counts. National Center for Health Statistics. 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/drug-overdose-data.htm
- Dowell D, Ragan KR, Jones CM, Baldwin GT, Chou R. CDC Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Pain — United States, 2022. MMWR Recomm Rep 2022;71(No. RR-3):1–95. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.rr7103a1
- Drug Overdose Death Rates. National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics. Accessed Apr 11, 2023 at https://drugabusestatistics.org/drug-overdose-deaths/
- Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Take Back Day (online). Accessed Apr 11, 2023 at https://takebackday.dea.gov/
- Drug Disposal: FDA’s Flush List for Certain Medicines. Revised Oct. 1, 2020. Accessed Apr 11, 2023 at https://www.fda.gov/drugs/safe-disposal-medicines/disposal-unused-medicines-what-you-should-know#Flush_List
- Khan U, Bloom RA, Nicell JA, et al. Risks associated with the environmental release of pharmaceuticals on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration "flush list". Sci Total Environ. 2017 Dec 31;609:1023-1040.
- Disposal of Unused Medicines: What You Should Know. US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Revised Oct. 1, 2020. Accessed Apr 11, 2023 at https://www.fda.gov/drugs/safe-disposal-medicines/disposal-unused-medicines-what-you-should-know
- US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Where and How to Dispose of Unused Medicines. Updated 4/21/2021. Accessed Apr 11, 2023 at https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/where-and-how-dispose-unused-medicines
Further information
Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.