Living Green, One Tip at a Time - (a weekly feature)

Tip # 20

Safe Disposal of Unwanted Medication

When prescription or over-the-counter drugs are thrown into the garbage, or flushed down the sink or toilet, their chemical components may be added to the water supply or soil. The presence of these substances in the environment is becoming an important national and international issue. Although the concentration levels of these products in the environment may be very low, they may be enough to have adverse effects on the environment and, indirectly, on human health. Of particular concern are the potential adverse effects of cumulative, long-term exposure to trace amounts and mixtures of pharmaceuticals on vulnerable populations, including pregnant women, newborns, and children.

You can help lessen the impact of these risks by disposing of drugs in a responsible way.

• Do not put expired or unused pharmaceuticals in the garbage or down the toilet or sink.
• Check to see if your pharmacy has a  drug take-back program that collects and disposes of the public's unused and expired drugs in an environmentally safe manner. Most pharmacies do, and programs exist in many provinces and territories across the country.
• If your area does not have such a program, contact your municipality to see if it collects drugs. Various municipalities have put in place different collection modes for household hazardous waste including drugs.

All information contained in this post was obtained from the Health Canada website.

Monica