Proper Disposal of Home Pharmaceuticals

I field all kinds of questions regarding the disposal of items that could potentially harm the environment or that are too good to put in the trash. One question I am frequently asked is how to dispose of home pharmaceuticals. It used to be that the best thing to do was to flush any unused or expired medications. This is no longer the case! Fish and aquatic animals have been shown to be adversely affected by medications and hormones dissolved in the water. 

The best way to dispose of unwanted or expired pharmaceuticals is to:

1. Remove the medication from the pill bottle and place it in a container with a lid or sealable baggie. If the medication is a solid tablet, crush it.
2. Mix in something undesirable like kitty litter or coffee grounds.
3. Place in your regular household trash.
4. Remove or mark out any identifying information on the pill bottle before disposing.

Please do not flush any medications down the toilet or wash them down the sink!