How to safely dispose of drugs

Lately, I've been doing some Spring cleaning and I've thrown out several old or unknown medicine bottles. Since my son is such of fan of garbage hunting, I have to be careful of how I throw medicines away. I definitely dispose of them in the outside trash cans so the kids can't accidently get their hands on the medications.
I remembered an email my friend TL sent me. It had some great tips for safely tossing out drugs...

How to safely toss drugs


-In the original pill bottle, add a small amount of water to pills so they'll become unusable.

-To liquid drugs, add some absorbent material such as kitty litter, sawdust or flour into the bottles before recapping to prevent further use.

-Place the containers and any used and unused mediation into a bag before throwing it in the trash to prevent immediate identification of a drug, or to protect a glass container from breaking. You may peel or soak off any labels to protect your privacy.

-Locate a hazardous waste facility. If your community offers incineration of medications or some other disposal method - use that service. Contact your local health department.

This list was compiled by Vicki Rackner, MD, FACS - Medical Editor, and can be found in the July 2005 issue of Hope Health Letter