Tips to Safety Cleanout Your Medicine Cabinet

Is your medicine cabinet overflowing with half-used or expired medicines? Then it’s time for a clean-out! Just like tidying up your home, your medicine cabinet needs attention too to ensure you are well stocked up with safe and effective medicines. But wait—don’t toss those old pills in the trash or flush them down the toilet. Let’s talk about how to “Do It Right” with safe medicine disposal!

Why Does Safe Medicine Disposal Matter?

You might be thinking, “Why not just throw these away?” Well, improper disposal can be harmful! Flushing meds can pollute water, and tossing them in the trash can make them easy for kids, pets, or wildlife to find. Yikes! But don’t worry, there’s a simple and safe way to handle it.

Steps to Clean Out Your Medicine Cabinet?

Ready to clean out your medicine cabinet? Let’s go through a few simple steps.

Step 1: Sort Out the Unwanted

And that includes everything in it, including creams and ointments, supplements and vitamins.

• Check the expiry date: Toss anything past its expiration date. Medications lose their power and some might even become harmful.
  One-year rule for prescriptions: If a prescription is more than a year old, it’s time to let it go.
• Look for changes: Any medicine that has changed color, smell, or taste should be thrown away. it’s likely been exposed to too much light or air.
• Check the labels: If something’s not in its original container and you can’t tell what it is, get rid of it. Next time, always keep meds in their original packaging.

Step 2: Pack It Up

Toss the packaging: Remove personal info from labels and pack the unwanted meds into a bag for disposal.

Step 3: Safe Disposal

You’ve got two options for getting rid of your unwanted medicines:
At Home:

• Put solid meds in a sealable bag with a little water to dissolve them.
• Mix in something like coffee grounds, kitty litter, or sawdust to make it unappealing for anyone or anything to eat.
• Seal the bag and toss it in the trash.
• Use a Medicine Take-Back Program: The easiest and safest way to get rid of your unwanted medicine.

The “Do It Right” Program
CARiNG, Georgetown, and Wellings Pharmacy offer a safe medicine disposal service called “Do It Right”. Just bring your unwanted medicines to us, and we’ll handle the safe disposal. It’s that simple! Protect the environment and keep your home safe with this hassle-free solution.

So, what are you waiting for? Let’s Do It Right and make your medicine cabinet safe and clutter-free again!