I Need to Safely Dispose of Medications
Don’t dispose of everything the same way.
Until you know what to do with them, keep medications secured. If someone in the home may misuse them or use them to harm themselves, lock them up or have another responsible person manage them. Keep them away from children, visitors, and pets.
If hospice or another care team supplied or managed the medications, call them first.
“Who’s responsible for disposing of these medications, and what should I do with them now?”
If hospice says they’ll handle the medications, ask what happens next and whether someone needs to come to the home.
If hospice tells you a nurse or other staff member needs to be present for disposal, keep the medications secured until they arrive and ask what they need you to do.
Check Whose Medication It Is
Read the name on each label.
Don’t dispose of another person’s medication just because it was stored with the medications of the person who died.
Don’t give unused medication to someone else, even if they take the same drug.
Use the Official Instructions
For most unused medications, start with a take-back option.
Find a take-back location for unused medications.
Many pharmacies also have drop-off kiosks or mail-back envelopes. Ask yours.
If take-back or mail-back isn’t readily available, check:
See whether FDA says that medication should be flushed when a take-back option isn’t available.
FDA: Disposal of Unused Medicines ↗
Find out what to do when take-back, mail-back, or flushing doesn’t apply.
Sharps and Other Special Items
Don’t put loose needles, syringes, lancets, or other sharps in household trash or recycling.
Put used sharps in a sharps disposal container. If one isn’t available, a heavy-duty plastic household container with a tight, puncture-resistant lid may be an alternative.
Ask the pharmacy, local health department, or waste program how to dispose of the sealed container where you live.
FDA: Best Way to Get Rid of Used Needles and Other Sharps ↗
How to safely contain and dispose of needles, syringes, lancets, and other sharps, including what to use if a standard sharps container isn’t available.
Some medications and devices, including patches, inhalers, chemotherapy drugs, and pumps, may need special disposal. Ask the pharmacist, hospice, or care team what applies to that item.
If the First Option Doesn’t Work
If hospice doesn’t respond, a take-back site won’t accept the medication, or you’re still not sure what applies, call a pharmacist and ask what disposal option is appropriate for that specific medication.
Learn More
Why unused medications can create risks for misuse and how safe storage and disposal can help prevent it.