Last Updated on May 4, 2013 by

Are you properly disposing of over-the-counter and prescription drugs? Read the following information from Operation Medicine Cabinet and the North Carolina Substance Abuse Prevention Association (NCSAPA) for 5 reasons why you will want to make sure you are.

The Right Way To Throw Away Unused Drugs & Medicine

Operation Medicine Cabinet (OMC) is a community organization established to prevent substance and environmental abuse caused by over-the-counter and prescription drugs. The organization warns against flushing leftover medicine since they can get into the clean water supply for the community. The safest way to dispose of drugs is to take them to a facility that will dispose of them properly. In North Carolina, we have the Operation Medicine Drop program also known as the Take Back Program that will pick up the medications and disposes of them properly.

OMC does give a last resort alternative to throwing away unsaid medicine, as outlined in the steps below:

• First, remove any leftover medicine from its original container.
• Black out or scratch out any personal information from the prescription drug labels.
• Combine the leftover drugs with used cat litter or used coffee grounds — this will discourage others from removing the medicine from the trash.
• Put the medicine/litter/coffee ground combo into a jar, bottle, or other waterproof container and throw the mix away.
• Make sure the trash go to a landfill where it belongs

Here Are 5 Reasons To Follow The Steps Above

As we discuss the importance of substance abuse and misuse in our local communities, it is important to also consider the effect that improper disposal of unused drugs have on the environment. Both issues, environmental and substance abuse, ultimately impact all of our communities. Here’s how:

1. Substance Abuse High Risks. A study by the University of Maine’s Center on Aging reports 40% of prescription drugs dispensed are never used, leaving most people with several bottles of unused drugs in their homes. At-home over the counter and prescription drugs are the most abused substances among teens and young adults. The 2007 North Carolina State Risk Behavior Survey indicated that 25 percent of high school students in Western North Carolina reported having used prescription drugs recreationally at least once. Nationwide, teens abuse prescription drugs more than any other drug, except marijuana. 70% of prescription drug abusers report they get them right out of the medicine cabinets of family or friends.
2. Surface Water Contamination. As many as 100 different pharmaceuticals have been found in surface water, accordion to research samples collected by the United States Geological Survey. Common household drugs including blood thinners, antibiotics, acetaminophen, and aspirin. Surface water makes its way into plants, parks, and residential areas affecting wildlife.
3. Drinking Water Contamination. According to a recent Associated Press investigation, we could be drinking someone else’s drugs. That’s right. The Associate Press recently reported found traces of pharmaceuticals in the drinking water supply of 46 million people in 2 dozen American metropolitan area communities.
4. Deaths Caused By Injury. In North Carolina, poisonings caused by non-prescription pain medicines are the second leading cause of deaths by unintentional injury.
5. River & Stream Contamination. Contamination has been found here in North Carolina and in over 80% of waterways tested, leading to deaths of earthworms, lowered immune response in fish, causing large numbers of fish to die off in the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, and slower reproduction in certain shellfish.

As you can see, it is very important that unused drugs are promptly and safely disposed to prevent both environmental and substance abuse. We support Operation Medicine Cabinet’s Operation Medicine Drop program. Click here to find a take back location near you. Don’t see your city on the map? Contact them at for information on where to take your unused over the counter and/or prescription medicines.