Ask PPH

I have some expired and unused medications that I would like to get rid of but I’m not sure how I should go about doing that, any suggestions as to how they can be safely disposed of?

There are several different options for safely destroying and disposing of medications that you may no longer need or are no longer able to use due to their expiration.

An option available all year round are permanent drop boxes, and these can be found all throughout the US. These drop boxes are often located and secured at places easily accessible to the public such as police stations, fire stations, municipal buildings, hospitals, and even potentially at pharmacies. These drop boxes are always free and anonymous to use. In NH there are 68 recognized drop boxes that have been implemented in police departments. The state of NH provides a list of these available drop boxes, which you can access at bit.ly/nhdropboxlocations, where you can search to see if there is a drop box at your local police department.

Then, there are two days each year that are nationwide medication and substance collection days which occur in April and then again in October. These are known as the DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back Days, with the next one planned for October 24, 2020. These community events are intended to provide a convenient, responsible, and safe way to dispose of medications and substances, as well as presenting an opportunity to educate and inform the public about the misuse of medications. Go to takebackday.dea.gov to learn more about DEA Take Back Day and to find out which communities in your area will be collecting on that day.

If going out in public has you concerned, if mobility is an issue, if transportation is a challenge, and/or if you just wish to keep your medications dispose private, you can always use a home disposal kit. These types of disposal kits are simple and easy to use, allowing individuals to deactivate medications that can then be safely disposed of in regular household garbage. These bags do have a cost to them, however many community organizations may have some available at no cost for the individuals they serve and the regional public health networks can usually get these home disposal kits for free to then share within individuals and organizations within the regions they support.

In addition to proper and safe disposal of medications, the safeguarding and securing of medications that continue to remain within the home is imperative in order to prevent the diversion and misuse of them as well as to avoid any accidental ingestion from children and pets. This can be done with the use of medication storage boxes. Medication storage boxes come in a wide range of styles and sizes and most importantly keeps medication locked up. Again, there is a cost to these, though community groups like substance misuse prevention coalitions try to provide them for free to community members whenever possible as they are a proven strategy to prevention misuse of medications.

Lastly, it should also be noted that Red Ribbon Week will be happening this month from October 23rd through October 31st. This annual event is the largest prevention campaign in the US for substance misuse aiming and encouraging children, families, young people, and communities to live healthy, happy, and drug-free lives. The theme this year is “Be Happy. Be Brave. Be Drug Free.” and many schools and communities will have special events and activities to raise awareness of prevention as well as promote healthy lifestyle choices during this designated week. The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) administers and supports this campaign each year with more information at www.dea.gov/redribbon.

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Please feel free to reach out to the Partnership for Public Health should you have questions and/or need assistance by emailing kwade@pphnh.org or by calling 603-707-5867 during normal business hours.