What Can I Do With My Unused Medications?

by Cindy Kreifels, The Groundwater Foundation

A few weeks ago I was having lunch with some friends when the conversation turned to caring for elderly parents.  One of the big questions that came up was what to do with leftover or unused prescription medications.  Of course most of us have grown up in the era of flushing these unwanted items.  Having heard this was a bad idea for the environment, the question became then what do we do with these items to keep them out of the wrong hands.

THE ANSWER

April 27^th is National Drug Take-Back Day.  Make plans to return unused drugs to this event taking place in communities all over the United States.  The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has scheduled a National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day which will take place on Saturday, April 27, 2013, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. This is a great opportunity for those who have accumulated unwanted, unused prescription drugs, to safely dispose of those medications.  To learn where sites are located in your area, visit http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/. 

Another opportunity to dispose of your non-controlled medications in Lincoln and Lancaster County, Nebraska is The Nebraska MEDS Disposal program.  The Groundwater Foundation has been working with several other Lincoln-based entities to address this issue locally.  Initially the MEDs (Medication Education for Disposal Strategies) Coalition worked to educate citizens of safer disposal methods and most recently has been able to initiate a pharmacy take-back program for non-controlled medications.  To learn more about the MEDS Disposal program, visit http://www.npharm.org/content.asp?pl=4&sl=32&contentid=32.  

MEDs Coalition Partners include: Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department, Nebraska Pharmacists Association, Nebraska Regional Poison Center, Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality, Nebraska Health and Human Services, and others.   The MEDS project is funded by the Nebraska Environmental Trust.

Please make sure that your unused medications are disposed of safely, for the sake of our children and the environment.