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How are we supposed to properly dispose of medicine in a safe and environmentally friendly manner?
I tried many times to figure out the answer to this question. I called pharmacies, but they wouldn’t take my unwanted or expired medicine. And I tried researching online, but I only found articles that recommended throwing old pills into used kitty litter so people wouldn’t misuse the medicine. At the same time, my research was telling me that medicine shouldn’t be thrown away in the trash, or flushed down the toilet, or washed down the sinks because it poisons our land and water supplies. It’s a real issue!
Because of this, I’ve found it difficult to dispose of our expired medicine in the past.
I had a lot of space in one of my kitchen cabinets that was taken up by old or expired medicine. It was so packed in there that it was difficult to find what we needed when we needed it.
Not only is it space that could be organized better and used for other things, but I don’t want to accidentally take or give expired medicine to anyone in my family.
So what’s a concerned citizen to do?
Well, thank goodness for my daughter’s Girl Scout field trips! She recently had one at a local police station.
Among the many things that we learned on our tour of the police station, we found out that most stations have a disposal box for unwanted medicine!
You can go to a police station, bring in your unwanted medicine, and get rid of it there for FREE!
Apparently, they’ve been installing them in police stations for a few years now and it’s becoming quite common.
It’s a great program and really makes a lot of sense. Police stations are already routinely disposing of confiscated drugs. They know how to do it the proper way.
And now they are providing a way for any of us to piggyback on that process.
I took a picture of the drop box at the station we visited in KC. See? I told you I was excited to learn about this!
And take a look at our now functional medicine cabinet! I cleared out years of clutter and old junk in less than half an hour. It went from a cluttered mess to easy organization. Now, only the useful stuff is left and it’s all visible.
I couldn’t believe how old some of our medicine was. I found a lot dating back to 2014. In fact, the oldest medicine I found was from 2007. Yikes.
I have a plastic bag full and ready for a trip to the police station. I’m so glad that I can finally dispose of it all safely!
Now that you know too, go get that medicine cabinet cleaned and organized at your house. What are you waiting for?
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