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The way to dispose of drugs that are expired or are no longer used is different from how to dispose of ordinary household waste. Left to pile up in medicine boxes risks accidentally being drunk by other residents of the house who do not know anything about the stale medicine. This can lead to poisoning. Carelessly throwing away leftover drugs can potentially be misused by those who find them. So, pay close attention to how you dispose of the medicine at home. Follow this guide.
How to safely dispose of drugs
Basically, every the drug should be discarded immediately when the validity period has expired or when it is no longer needed.
Follow these steps according to the guidelines of the Food and Drug Administration:
- Remove all information labels from the medicine container so that the type of drug is no longer legible or clearly visible. This is also useful for avoiding the drug being resold by irresponsible persons after the drug is collected at the TPA (Final Disposal Site).
- For medicines in the form of creams, ointments, tablets, capsules, and other solid forms: crush the medicine and mix it with water, soil, or other disgusting garbage to be disposed of, then put all in a closed container or plastic. This is to prevent the drug from leaking or being scattered and being taken back by scavengers.
- Medicines in the form of used patches must be squeezed or random scissors so that they can no longer be stuck on.
- Most syrups can be poured directly down the toilet. For example, child fever medicine or liquid flu medicine. However, don't do this for antibiotic, antifungal, and antiviral syrups.
Some drugs should not be thrown away alone
The Food and Drug Administration in the United States (FDA) says that certain types of drugs are dangerous if they are poured directly into the toilet. For example opiates (fentanyl, morphine, diazepam, oxycodone, buprenoprhine), chemotherapy drugs, to antibiotics, antifungals and antivirals. The reason is, the bacteria in the culvert water cannot function when exposed to the drug. There, they died.
Antibiotic, antifungal, and antiviral drugs in the form of syrup / liquid should be left in their original packaging. But before being disposed of, the solution first is with water, soil, or other unwanted material, then closed tightly. Remove the drug label (like the first step) and throw it in the trash.
Some other medicines - such as chemotherapy drugs and opiates - come with specific disposal instructions along with the location where you need to dispose of them. Put the drug waste into a special place such as an airtight container or sealed bag and take it to the nearest official agency, such as a drug factory health center, pharmacy, hospital, or police station that is responsible for handling legal disposal of drugs. There, a collection of used drugs will be burned to protect the surrounding environment from drug contamination.
Other medicines that should not be thrown in the toilet are:
- Methylphenidate
- Naltrexone hydrochloride
- Methadone Hydrochloride
- Hydrocodone Bitartrate
- Naloxone Hydrochloride
You can also contact the Sanitation and Landscaping Service of your city or district, or your local waste management authority for information on how to properly dispose of medicines in your area.
