Green Deen

We live in a society that is highly dependent on drugs. Personally, I'd rather not take medicine. I prefer drinking tons of fluids and resting over popping pills any day. Nonetheless my medicine cabinet is piled high with bottles upon bottles of prescription medications. Some of these medications are expired and others I have no use for.

Given the wide array of side effects and contraindications that are attributed to various pharmaceuticals and given the fact that our water supplies are already showing traces of these pharmaceuticals (due to the body's inability to fully metabolize and absorb ingested medications), it is pertinent that a conscious effort is taken to properly dispose of any drugs that might be lingering in the medicine cabinet for one reason or the other.

Here are some tips:

1. Keep all medicines out of the reach of children and pets.

2. Do not flush pills down the toilet.
The presence of contraceptives in the water supply can be attributed to its excretion in the urine. Urine gets flushed down the toilet. Because a system that is able to completely rid the water of such pollutants has not yet been developed, contraceptives and other medications find their way to our water ways. You can prevent larger amounts of pharmaceuticals from reaching the water ways by not throwing you unused and unwanted medications down the drain or in the toilet.

3. Ask your pharmacist if they take back unused medications.
Some pharmacies such as Kaiser Permanente will take back unwanted, unused or expired medications and will properly dispose of them at no cost.

4. Ask around in your neighborhood.
Some cities have collection centers or will often have arrangements where residents can bring in any medications that they may want to get rid of. There are various locations in the Los Angeles area that take expired and unused medications. To find an location near you visit Earth911.

5. If you absolutely must dispose of medication in the trash, follow these steps:

• If the medication is a liquid , mix it with cat litter, coffee grounds, saw dust or something that will make it look less appealing to anyone who may want to ingest the med for whatever reason.
  
• If the medication is a solid, crush them, add water and mix with cat litter, coffee grounds, etc.
  
• Close the container tightly. Remember to remove any personal information that may be on the label.
  
• Tightly secure the bottle shut with layers of strong tape (duct tape, electrical tape, etc.).
  
• Place the sealed bottles in at least three plastic bags being sure to tightly secure each bag with layers of tape.
  

Sources: Earth911, Casa Sugar, Noaa Research

Labels: medicine disposal, safe, Water