Every 6 minutes, someone dies from an accidental overdose, with medicines being a major cause of accidental poisoning in kids. It’s a concerning statistic, but the solution isn’t as simple as flushing your unused medications down the toilet.
Flushing meds down the drain contributes to as much as 2,300 tons of hazardous waste each year, posing serious threats to our environment and aquatic life. Moreover, tossing pharmaceuticals in the trash can increase the risk of drug abuse. The key to addressing these issues lies in proper medication disposal, which not only safeguards our health but also protects the environment.
The Hazards of Improper Medication Disposal:
- Environmental Pollution: Flushing prescription medications, even over the counter medications, may seem convenient, but it comes at a high environmental cost. Pharmaceuticals entering our waterways can contaminate our drinking water and harm aquatic species. This pollution has far-reaching consequences for the ecosystems that rely on clean water sources.
- Accidental Poisonings: Storing unused or expired medications in the home can lead to accidental poisoning in children, and most teens who have misused pain medicines say they got them from friends and family.
- Drug Abuse: Throwing medications in the trash leaves them vulnerable to misuse and abuse. This poses a significant risk to individuals who may find these drugs, leading to potentially life-threatening consequences.
Drug take-back programs are a safe and effective way to address the hazards associated with improper medication disposal. These programs offer a convenient method for people to get rid of unused or expired medications including pet medications, reducing the risks of accidental poisoning, environmental impact, and drug abuse.
Find a take-back program near you!
Use this interactive map to help find proper medication collection sites at locations throughout Missouri to conveniently drop off unused pharmaceuticals. These sites are managed and provide safe disposal of unused or expired prescription drugs. Details for map usage below.
- Navigate to the interactive map.
- Use the plus sign to zoom in until you see your location.
- Locate the take-back program location nearest you.
- Click the icon for details – including address, types of medications accepted, and hours of operation.
- Before visiting the location, separate your unused medications from its container (or black out any identifying personal information on the container), then drop them off with no questions asked.
Benefits:
- Safe and Secure Disposal: Medications are disposed of in a secure and environmentally responsible manner. You can have peace of mind knowing that your unused medications won’t end up in the wrong hands or harm the environment.
- Protecting Our Environment: Help prevent pharmaceutical pollution in our waterways, safeguarding aquatic life and preserving the quality of our drinking water.
- Preventing Accidental Poisoning: Proper disposal of medications reduces the likelihood of children accidentally ingesting or being harmed by medications that aren’t meant for them.
How You Can Contribute:
Participating in a drug take-back program is simple. Many pharmacies, healthcare facilities, and community organizations host these events periodically. Here’s how you can get involved:
- Check Local Events: Many cities organize collection days that allow unused medication drop-off.
- Visit Your Pharmacy: Some pharmacies have permanent drug drop boxes where you can safely dispose of your medications.
- Encourage Others: Spread the word about the importance of responsible drug disposal and the existence of drug take-back programs.
By participating, you can save lives, protect natural resources, and prevent drug abuse. Join the movement for safer medication disposal today.
Let’s Create Change Together – Help spread the word!
This project was created by the Missouri Product stewardship Council and the Product Stewardship Institute, a national policy advocate and consulting nonprofit. This is a component of an expanding initiative aimed at creating statewide initiatives to retrieve unused medications, partly as a response to the opioid crisis. Data indicates that seven out of every ten individuals who misuse prescription drugs obtain them from acquaintances or relatives, frequently from their own medicine storage.
Sources:
Center for Disease Control: Unintentional poisoning deaths – Number of deaths: 87,404 per year (2020) 87,404 / 365 days per year = 239.46 deaths per day 239.46 /24 hours per day = 9.97 deaths per hour — about 10 deaths per hour = approx. 1 death every 6 mins
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