David Baxter PhD
Late Founder
Old and expired pills don't belong in the garbage
by Angela Mulholland, Your Health - CTV MedNews
April 4, 2011
When you have expired or leftover medications, do you know how to throw them out safely?
Here?s a hint: tossing it in the garbage or flushing it down the toilet is not the way to go.
Throwing your pills down the toilet is a sure way to ensure they end up in the water supply -- never a good thing, considering that many of these meds takes ages to break down in water. Tossing them in the garbage is also not great for the environment and whiel they're in your garbage can, you take the risk that the medsy might end up in the wrong hands -- like those of curious toddlers.
The good news is that there are programs for safe disposal of medicines in many provinces. If you live in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Nova Scotia, or Prince Edward Island, there are provincial programs in place that allow certain community pharmacies to take back old medicines and dispose of them in an environmentally-safe manner.
In other provinces and territories, programs may be organized through local municipalities. You can also ask your community pharmacy directly if they have a drug take-back program and will accept your expired medicines for disposal.
For more info on how to safely discard medications in your area, try this neat little tool from the Post Consumer Pharmaceutical Stewardship Association (PCPSA) .
Remember: everyone should sort through their medicine cabinets at least once a year and get rid of expired pills and capsules. If you find a med whose expiry date has passed, it?s best not to use it. In the best-case scenario, the medicine might not be fully effective anymore. In the worst case scenario, it could actually cause harm.
by Angela Mulholland, Your Health - CTV MedNews
April 4, 2011
When you have expired or leftover medications, do you know how to throw them out safely?
Here?s a hint: tossing it in the garbage or flushing it down the toilet is not the way to go.
Throwing your pills down the toilet is a sure way to ensure they end up in the water supply -- never a good thing, considering that many of these meds takes ages to break down in water. Tossing them in the garbage is also not great for the environment and whiel they're in your garbage can, you take the risk that the medsy might end up in the wrong hands -- like those of curious toddlers.
The good news is that there are programs for safe disposal of medicines in many provinces. If you live in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Nova Scotia, or Prince Edward Island, there are provincial programs in place that allow certain community pharmacies to take back old medicines and dispose of them in an environmentally-safe manner.
In other provinces and territories, programs may be organized through local municipalities. You can also ask your community pharmacy directly if they have a drug take-back program and will accept your expired medicines for disposal.
For more info on how to safely discard medications in your area, try this neat little tool from the Post Consumer Pharmaceutical Stewardship Association (PCPSA) .
Remember: everyone should sort through their medicine cabinets at least once a year and get rid of expired pills and capsules. If you find a med whose expiry date has passed, it?s best not to use it. In the best-case scenario, the medicine might not be fully effective anymore. In the worst case scenario, it could actually cause harm.
