CC Aging Guide 2026 - Flipbook - Page 34
WTC
H EALTH PROGRAM
Your Prescription Medicine: Tips for Safe Storage and Disposal
Where do you keep your prescription medicine?
What if there are no drug disposal sites in my area?
How and where you keep your medication can make a
big diference when it comes to medication safety. Every
year, two million people end up in the hospital due to
drug-related injuries. This might include medication errors,
adverse drug reactions, allergic reactions, or overdoses.1
If there are no disposal sites in your area, there are ways
to safely dispose of your medication at home.
Safe and secure storage of your prescription medicine can
help avoid accidental injuries.
safely dispose of your medication in your household
trash by following these four steps:
• First, get organized. Check to see if any of your
prescription medicines are expired, since taking expired
medication may no longer be safe or efective. Make
sure your prescription medicine is stored in the original
packaging, with the safety lock tightened and secured.
• Second, secure your medicine. Safe storage of these
2
How can I dispose of my prescription medicine safely?
Get more information about drug disposal and a disposal
site locator at takebackday.dea.gov.
1) Mix your medicine with an inedible substance like
dirt, cat litter, or used cofee grounds.
2) Put the mixture in a container, such as a sealed
plastic bag.
3) Throw the container in your household trash.
controlled medications is especially important, as they
can be dangerous if taken when not prescribed.
The best and most environmentally-friendly way to dispose
of your prescription medicine is through a drug take-back
program. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
periodically provides drug disposal sites in communities
across the nation. The DEA also has permanent drug
disposal sites in certain pharmacies or hospitals.
Controlled substances and other medicines can be
harmful if ingested by others, so the label might have
special disposal instructions that you should follow.
• If there are no special disposal instructions, you can
How can I store my prescription medicine safely?
You should dispose of any unused or expired prescription
medicine as soon as possible. Timely disposal of prescription
medicine can reduce the risk of others taking the medication
accidentally or misusing the medication intentionally.
• First, read the packaging label on your medication.
4) Scratch out all the personal information on the
prescription label of your empty medication bottle
to make it unreadable. Then dispose or recycle the
empty medication bottle.
1 See Ofce of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP)
Adverse Drug Events at https://health.gov/hcq/ade.asp
2 See Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Disposal of Unused
Medications: What You Should Know at https://www.fda.gov/
Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/BuyingUsingMedicineSafely/
EnsuringSafeUseofMedicine/SafeDisposalofMedicines/
ucm186187.htm
Learn more about safe medicine disposal at
www.cdc.gov/wtc/prescriptionsafety.html
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2026 – 2027 Carroll County Division of Aging & Disabilities Resource Guide
