Tip: Disposing of outdated medicines
You stock your medicine cabinet with items to treat your health problems and keep you well. But if you're like many, your medicine cabinet also includes an array of expired, outdated and unneeded drugs. These medications might make you sick or, if not disposed of properly, could cause harm to others or the environment.
Unwanted medications accumulating in households is a growing problem, especially among seniors. The old advice to flush unused meds down the toilet is no longer appropriate. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation says flushed medications often find their way into lakes, rivers and streams, creating potential hazards to fish and wildlife. If they are kept in the medicine cabinet, they could fall into the hands of visiting grandchildren or their friends. Instead, the department advises that you take your unwanted prescription and over-the-counter drugs to local collection sites.
Several collection events are held throughout New York State every year. In Nassau, "Shed the Meds" is next Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon in parking lot B4 of the Bellmore LIRR Station. Sponsored by Sen. Charles Fuschillo Jr. (R-Merrick) and the Nassau County Police Department, it is a chance to safely and quickly dispose of all unwanted household drugs, including veterinary medications. Call 516-882-0630 for more information.
In Suffolk, all seven county police precincts have metal lockboxes available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to dispose of household pharmaceuticals. Business medical waste is not accepted. Call your local precinct for more information. (Precinct telephone numbers can be found at co.suffolk.ny.us/police/phone.htm.)
Another alternative is to send the drugs to a licensed disposal facility. Sharps Compliance Corp. (sharpsinc.com), through its TakeAway brand, sells specially designed 8-inch by 11-inch envelopes that can be filled with your unwanted medications. The envelopes are available at Walgreens and Rite Aid and several independent pharmacies for about $3, including postage. For a list of participating pharmacies, go to
sharpsinc.com/locator.
There are limitations on what you can send in the TakeAway envelopes. You cannot send liquids or controlled prescription drugs such as OxyContin or Vicodin. (For a list of controlled prescription drugs, go to 1.usa.gov/kywT1J.) The drugs must also be in their original containers, company president David Tusa says.
For more information, go the state Department of Environmental Conservation website at 1.usa.gov/j02Eq5.
