Disposal of Medications.

How to Safely Dispose of Medications

If there are no medicine take-back programs or DEA-authorized collectors available in your area, and there are no specific disposal instructions on the label, follow these simple steps to properly dispose of your medications in the household trash.

  • Step 1: Mix
    Mix medication (do not crush tablets or capsules) with an unpalatable substance such as dirt, kitty litter, or used coffee grounds.
  • Step 2: Place
    Place the mixture in a container such as a sealed plastic bag.
  • Step 3: Throw
    Throw the container in your household trash.
  • Step 4: Scratch Out
    Scratch out all personal information on the prescription label of your empty pill bottle or empty medicine packaging to make it unreadable, and then dispose of the container.
How to Safely Dispose of Medications

Contact our ADS Pharmacists with any questions on how to properly dispose medications at: 1-800-730-9887 or you may contact the FDA at 855-543-3784.

Visit the following links for more information on how to dispose medications:

https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/index.html

https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/BuyingUsingMedicineSafely/EnsuringSafeUseofMedicine/SafeDisposalofMedicines/ucm186187.htm