Pharmaceuticals and Medications

Medication and Pharmaceutical Disposal:
There are several options for safely disposing of your old medications and pharmaceuticals.

Option 1: Take Back to a Pharmacy

Bring unwanted and expired medicines into a participating TakeAway pharmacy. All Iowa Quad Cities' Hy-Vee pharmacies along with Main at Locust Pharmacy in Davenport and Schwenke Pharmacy in LeClaire are participating. The pharmacist will dispose of the returned medications into a TakeAway system, a waste bin specially designed to safely store discarded pharmaceutical products along with their packaging. View a list of acceptable and unacceptable material.

Once filled, the TakeAway system is sealed and shipped to a medication disposal facility where the entire TakeAway system and its contents are incinerated. This ensures unused and expired pharmaceuticals do not enter water supplies. In addition, the incineration facility used by the TakeAway program employs a waste-to-energy incineration process—meaning the energy produced by incineration is harnessed into electricity. To find a local participating pharmacy and for more information visit www.iarx.org/TakeAway.

Option 2: Make Undesireable and Dispose in Garbage
The Office of National Drug Control Policy recommends you dispose of your unused pharmaceuticals in the trash. Especially when there is a risk of accidental poisoning, overdose or diversion, it is better to dispose of household pharmaceuticals than to hang onto them. When placing unused pharmaceuticals in the trash, be sure to do the following:

• Remove or mark over all labels that identify the materials as pharmaceuticals or that could provide personal information about you, including prescription information that someone could try to refill;
• Render them unattractive to children and thieves by dissolving them in a small amount of water or alcohol, or by grinding them up and mixing them with coffee grounds or kitty litter; and
• Put them in a second container or small plastic bag and and hide them in your trash.
• Never burn pharmaceuticals or personal care products in a burn barrel. Uncontrolled burning can create dioxins and other air pollutants.

Option 3: Waste Commission of Scott County
Waste Commission of Scott County provides free disposal of old or unused prescription and non-prescription medications through its Household Hazardous Material program. We are unable to accept controlled substances. Make an appointment for disposal through our website or by calling 563-381-1300. The Commission also co-sponsors an annual 3-day event called Operation Medicine Cabinet, typically each September, which provides free disposal of these items at locations throughout the county.

There are several reasons for proper disposal of old medications:

• Studies have shown that flushing medications can contaminate groundwater, pollute waterways and harm wildlife.
• Some teens and adults abuse drugs. In a recent survey 64% of teens that abused pain relievers said they got them from a friend or family member.
• Medications can be confused for other things and cause accidental poisonings or mid-medications.