Drug Disposal and Donation Guidelines

Unused and expired medicines should be managed carefully to prevent accidental poisoning, misuse, diversion, and environmental contamination. The safest option for most prescription and over-the-counter medicines is a drug take-back program, not the trash, sink, toilet, or curbside recycling.

Medication donation is possible in limited circumstances, but it is tightly regulated. Most medications in home medicine cabinets are not eligible for donation, even if they are unopened or unexpired. Follow the rules of a state-approved drug repository or recognized donation organization rather than sending medicines to a charity on your own.

1. First choice: Use a drug take-back location

FDA recommends using a drug take-back option for most unused, unwanted, or expired medicines. Authorized collection locations may accept prescription medicines, over-the-counter medicines, and controlled substances. They may operate through pharmacies, hospitals, clinics, law-enforcement agencies, and other DEA-authorized collectors.

Take-back programs safely collect and destroy medicine. They do not generally recycle medications for reuse.

Find a year-round disposal location

Use these resources:

• DEA Year-Round Drug Disposal Locator: https://apps.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubdispsearch 

• DEA Take Back Day and collection-site finder: https://www.dea.gov/takebackday 

• Call the DEA Diversion Control Division Registration Call Center: 1-800-882-9539.

  
  

Before visiting, contact the location to confirm:

• Hours and current availability

• Whether it accepts controlled substances

• Whether it accepts liquids, inhalers, sharps, creams, patches, or veterinary medicines

• Whether original containers are required

• Whether labels should be removed or personal information covered

• Whether the site accepts medicines from households, businesses, or long-term-care facilities

2. DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

DEA periodically holds National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, when temporary medicine-collection sites operate in communities across the country. Many local law-enforcement agencies also sponsor medication-disposal events.

Search for event locations at: DEA Take Back Day 

Do not wait for a Take Back Day if you have access to a year-round collection site. DEA reports that thousands of pharmacies, hospitals, businesses, and police departments offer continuing drop-off options.

3. Mail-back programs

If a local drop-off location is unavailable, some pharmacies, health plans, government programs, and other authorized providers offer prepaid medication mail-back envelopes.

To use an authorized mail-back program:

1. Confirm that the envelope accepts your medication type.

2. Place eligible unused or expired medicine into the approved envelope.

3. Seal the envelope according to its instructions.

4. Mail it through the U.S. Postal Service as directed.

   
   

Do not mail medication in an ordinary envelope or package. Use only a mail-back program that provides approved materials and instructions. FDA notes that mail-back envelopes are available for purchase from some retail pharmacies and online sellers.

4. Donation through state drug repositories

Some states operate prescription drug repository programs, also called drug donation, reuse, or redistribution programs. These programs collect eligible medications and distribute them through approved pharmacies, clinics, hospitals, or charitable organizations to qualifying patients.

State programs may help improve medication access for uninsured, underinsured, or low-income patients. However, each program has strict requirements regarding who may donate, which medications are accepted, packaging, labeling, storage history, expiration dates, and transfer procedures. As of late 2025, up to 38 states had enacted laws establishing prescription-drug return, reuse, or recycling programs, though program availability and eligibility differ by state.

Common donation requirements

A state repository may require medications to be:

• Unexpired, often with a minimum remaining shelf life

• In original, unopened, tamper-evident packaging

• Properly labeled

• Stored according to manufacturer requirements

• Free from signs of damage, contamination, or temperature exposure

• Approved by the specific repository program

• Donated through an eligible organization, pharmacy, health-care facility, or authorized individual

Do not assume that a medicine can be donated just because it is sealed or unexpired. Many programs do not accept controlled substances, refrigerated medications, partial bottles, opened packages, compounded medicines, or medications that cannot be verified.

To learn whether your state has a repository program, use:

• National Conference of State Legislatures, State Prescription Drug Repository Programs 

Important FDA caution

FDA discourages individual consumers and small groups from donating medicines for international humanitarian relief because medicines from home supplies may not meet legal, quality, storage, labeling, or documentation requirements. The medicines may ultimately need to be destroyed. FDA and the World Health Organization also strongly discourage donating expired medicines.

For international humanitarian donations, contact a qualified organization directly before collecting, mailing, or delivering any medicine:

• SIRUM: https://sirum.org/

• World Medical Relief, Prescription Donations: https://www.worldmedicalrelief.org/prescription-donations

• FDA, Questions and Answers on Donating and Exporting Drugs for Humanitarian Efforts 1816

Do not mail prescription medicines internationally or donate medications to an overseas relief effort unless you are working through an organization that confirms the donation meets all applicable laws and quality standards.

5. At-home disposal only when necessary

At-home disposal should be a backup option when a take-back site or authorized mail-back envelope is not available.

Medicines on the FDA Flush List

A small number of medicines have special instructions to flush immediately if a take-back option is not readily available. These medicines have a high risk of serious harm or death from accidental exposure, misuse, or abuse.

Before flushing any medicine, check the official FDA Flush List:

• FDA Flush List for Certain Medicines 

Do not flush medicines unless they are on the FDA Flush List or the product labeling specifically instructs you to do so.

Disposal in household trash

If no take-back or mail-back option is available and the medicine is not on the FDA Flush List:

1. Remove the medicine from its original container.

2. Mix it with an undesirable substance, such as used coffee grounds, dirt, or cat litter.

3. Do not crush tablets or capsules unless instructions specifically say it is safe to do so.

4. Place the mixture into a sealed disposable container, such as a zip-top bag, empty can, or other container that will not leak.

5. Place the sealed container in household trash.

6. Scratch out or remove personal information from the empty prescription label before disposing of the original container.

FDA recommends take-back programs first and describes household-trash disposal as an alternative when take-back and mail-back options are unavailable.

Special items

What not to do

• Do not put medicines in curbside recycling.

• Do not give prescription medicine to another person, even if they have similar symptoms.

• Do not donate medication without confirmation that it is accepted by a state repository or qualified organization.

• Do not flush medicines unless they appear on FDA’s Flush List or product labeling directs flushing.

• Do not pour liquid medicine into sinks, toilets, storm drains, or onto soil unless the product instructions or FDA Flush List specifically direct it.

• Do not mail medications through ordinary mail or send them internationally without authorized program instructions.

• Do not place loose needles or syringes in household trash or recycling.

• Do not retain unused controlled substances longer than necessary if a safe take-back option is available.

Quick checklist

• Review your medicine cabinet regularly and remove expired or unneeded medicine.

• Use a DEA-authorized take-back location as the first choice.

• Use an authorized mail-back envelope if a local drop-off location is unavailable.

• Check state drug repository rules before considering medication donation.

• Do not donate expired, opened, damaged, improperly stored, or unverified medications.

• Use the FDA Flush List only for medicines specifically listed there.

• Use household-trash disposal only when take-back and mail-back options are unavailable.

• Protect personal information on prescription labels.

• Keep medicines secured until they are donated or disposed of.

  
  

Safety and Legal Notice

Connecting The Dots Project provides this guide for general educational and informational purposes only. It is not medical, pharmaceutical, legal, regulatory, environmental, waste-management, emergency-response, or professional health-care advice.

Medication-disposal requirements, donation eligibility, repository-program rules, mail-back availability, accepted drug types, controlled-substance rules, pharmacy policies, and state and federal laws vary. Before donating, transporting, mailing, recycling, or disposing of medication, consult the prescribing clinician, pharmacist, product label, manufacturer, local health department, state drug repository, DEA-authorized collector, and receiving organization for current instructions.

Do not take, share, sell, alter, flush, discard, or donate prescription medicine except as directed by a qualified health professional, the product label, FDA guidance, or an authorized collection or repository program. Never give prescription medicine to another person.

For a suspected overdose, poisoning, accidental ingestion, or medical emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number. In the United States, you may also contact Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 for urgent poison-exposure guidance.

Mention of any organization, pharmacy, company, collection program, repository, retailer, website, or service is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement, affiliation, recommendation, or guarantee of eligibility, acceptance, service quality, safety, or legal compliance.

Connecting The Dots Project does not guarantee that this information is complete, current, accurate, or suitable for every medication or situation. Use of this guide is at the reader’s own risk.