Avoid Flushing Unused Medications Down the Toilet At All Costs!
For years, safety experts have been telling us to flush unused prescription medications down the toilet. We were told that it was very dangerous to keep these products lying around. They could be ingested by someone other than the person for whom they were prescribed or worse yet, taken by small children or used as recreational drugs.
Flushing the drug down the toilet was considered a safe and effective way to dispose of these unused or out dated prescriptions.
Today, there is a battle of sorts between the environmentalists and the Federal Government.
The Federal Government says to flush controlled substances down the toilet to keep them out of the hands of drug addicts. The environmentalists say “Never flush drugs down the toilet”.
Experts are now finding that flushing drugs down the toilet is not the recommended procedure. There is growing concern that these drugs are causing serious environmental harm.
Sewage and wastewater treatment plants are not designed to filter out these drugs and they are ultimately being discharged into the ground and surface water.
It has also been shown that the antibiotics being disposed of in this manner are killing the beneficial bacteria needed to operate the sewage system processing plants.
Listed below are some tips on how to dispose of medications properly.
1. Take the medications you are prescribed for the full length of time. Very often when we start to feel better, the tendency is to stop taking the full course of a prescribed medication, especially antibiotics. A full course of the prescribed medication is often required to completely cure the illness for which they were prescribed.
2. Do not dispose of medications down the toilet unless the label specifically instructs you to do so.
3. Drugs can be disposed of in household trash, but they must be taken out of the original container and then mixed with trash that would make them unappealing to children and pets.
They should also be unrecognizable by undesirables who may go through your trash intentionally. Put the drugs in a plastic sealable bag, empty can or other container to prevent them from leaking out of the garbage bag.
4. Labels should be either removed or scratched out so they are unreadable. This will help to protect your identity and also the privacy of your personal health information.
5. Check to see if your pharmacy has a drug take back program. Many pharmacies are now offering these services to the public as a community service.
6. Check with your local hazardous waste collection officials or recycling center to see if they have a special collection specifically for prescriptions.
7. Any prescription and over-the-counter medications including cold remedies, medication samples and vitamins would be included in these disposal precautions. Medicated ointments, lotions, inhalers and prescriptions prescribed by veterinarians should also be included.
8. Never give your unused prescription to neighbors or friends. Medications that may be fine for you to take could be dangerous or even deadly to another person.
Proper disposal of medications is something we should all be concerned with as the safety of our water supply and our health is in jeopardy.
Edinburgh Plumbing, Gasfitting & Drainage Penrith promote Green Living Practises and water saving.
Contact us on 02 4736 4536 or 0414 426 999