Drug disposal or donation
Unused medication worth billions of dollars ends up being discarded every year. For instance, hospitals dispose of over $3 billion worth of medication annually, while long-term care facilities discard an additional $2 billion worth. Medication in these settings often goes unused due to various reasons like improvement of health condition, dosage changes, care setting changes, or unfortunate events like death. Improper disposal of medications can pose environmental and safety threats.
While there are limitations to recycling and disposing of medications safely, there are options available:
Option 1) Donate Them to save others in need:
There are organizations that specialize in assisting with drug donations and national drug donation laws.
https://www.worldmedicalrelief.org/prescription-donations
Option 2) Donate them through State Drug Repository Program:
In some states with repository programs, you can donate drugs instead of disposing. Prescription drug donation and reuse programs, also known as drug repositories, collect unused prescription drugs and distribute them to qualifying individuals. These programs aim to increase medication access, particularly for underserved populations.
It's important to note that while some states have drug repository programs, the FDA has expressed concerns about the donation of unused drugs and does not endorse this practice. This is because the potential end user cannot be assured that the medications were stored appropriately even if the medications are not expired. Proper storage is crucial for many medications to maintain their strength, efficacy, and quality so please keep that in mind if you are considering to possibly donate them.
For more information on donating drugs for international humanitarian relief, you can refer to the question and answer sheet provided below.
https://www.fda.gov/media/80536/download
Option 3) Permanent collection sites:
These are locations where you can drop off your unused medicines for disposal. You can find your local drug disposal location by clicking below.
https://apps.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/.../main;jsessionid...
Option 4) Drug Take-Back Options
Some facilities such as pharmacies, hospitals and businesses are registered with the U.S. DEA to collect unused or expired medicines, including those that contain controlled substances. These collection sites may offer on-site medicine drop-off boxes and mail-back programs. Find an authorized drug collection site near you or call the DEA Diversion Control Division Registration Call Center at 1-800-882-9539.
Additionally, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) organizes National Prescription Drug Take Back events on a periodic basis. During these Drugs Take Back Days, temporary drug collection sites are established across the country to facilitate the safe disposal of prescription drugs. Also, local law enforcement agencies may sponsor medicine take-back events in your community. To stay informed about such events in your area, you can reach out to your local waste management authorities or contact your local law enforcement agencies. Please note that these sites do not recycle drugs but instead safely destroy the collected items.
If you are still confused or can’t find a location near you, you can Google "drug disposal near me" or "medication disposal near me" to find your nearest drug disposal site.
Option 5) Disposing of by yourself (Limited medications) This should be the last option suggested by DEA in order to prevent misuse. Not all the medications are allowed to flush down the toilet. Please read the instruction for proper-self disposal by FDA on the following link.
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Sources:
https://www.fda.gov/media/80536/download
Diagram source: NCSL issued in 2022
