The Importance of Safe Disposal of Supplements That Have Expired
Whether you’re spring cleaning, getting ready for back-to-school season, or starting a New Year’s resolution to get better organized, don’t forget that your nightstand and bathroom cabinets may also contain items with best-used-by dates, just like your kitchen. The start of a new season is a great time to declutter and check expiration dates, especially if you’re restocking essentials for your family’s health. If you’re already cleaning out your kitchen and pantry, take a few extra minutes to check the bathroom cabinets, another spot where products may have expired. Many of us hold on to expired medication that needs to be disposed of properly.
Do Medications and Supplements Expire?
Prescription and over-the-counter medications, including vitamins and other dietary supplements, all have expiration/best-used-by dates. Prescription medications typically have a one-year shelf life, while vitamins and nutritional supplements usually have a one- to three-year shelf life. So, what’s involved in safely disposing of dietary supplements and prescription medications?
Many cities have hazardous waste collection sites that will take these to dispose of supplements and medications that have expired or are no longer needed. In addition, the U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) schedules National Prescription Drug Take-Back Days twice a year. Typically, these days occur in October and April. During these events, unwanted medications can be dropped off at collection sites for free. If your clean-up doesn’t coordinate with these days, the DEA authorizes many pharmacies (including grocery store pharmacies) to collect and dispose of unused or expired drugs. The Department of Justice maintains a search where you can search for authorized drop-off locations within your community.
If waiting for a specified day is just too long, many pharmacy chains such as CVS and Walgreens have disposal kiosks on-site. In addition, have medication disposal envelopes that can be used to send unwanted medications directly to be destroyed, and some store locations have drop boxes. Both pharmacies also offer DisposeRx packets that can be used at home to turn pills (any kind), powders and liquids into an unusable, tamper-resistant gel.
(Bonus: Read our in-depth post detailing whether vitamins expire.)
Safe Disposal of Dietary Supplements and Prescription Medications
If you elect to dispose of unused medications in your trash, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) offers these guidelines for how to handle them so they aren’t a danger to others:
- Take the pills out of their original container.
- Mix the pills with an undesirable substance, such as used coffee grounds, used cat litter or dirt, to make the pills less attractive to children or pets and unrecognizable to someone who might intentionally go through your trash.
- Put the mixture in a sealed container or bag to prevent the pills from leaking or breaking out of a garbage bag.
- These products should not be burned, so those in rural areas with burn barrels should not put these items in the burn barrel.
About 50 percent of people who misuse prescription pain meds get them from someone they know, most often a friend or family member. The FDA encourages unused opioid medications to be disposed of immediately because the risk of abuse is so high. If the medication can’t be dropped at a take-back location, or drug mail-back envelopes aren’t available, it’s allowed to flush these high-risk medications. They report that the risk of these medications being in the wrong hands is potentially worse than the risk to the environment and water supply when flushing the items.
Remember These Tips When Throwing Away Expired Medication:
The Office of National Drug Control Policy recommends that, before disposing of prescription medication bottles, the label either be removed or covered with a permanent marker or duct tape to prevent re-ordering by someone else.
Recommended storage instructions are noted on vitamin and supplement bottles and the insert accompanying prescription medications. Generally, products should be stored at room temperature, away from excessive light and humidity.
About the Author: Jill Turner is the President of Cooper Complete® Nutritional Supplements, where she oversees product development and customer experience. She enjoys writing about vitamins, supplements, and preventive health to help consumers make informed, science-backed decisions.
Reference
National Take Back Initiative
https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/where-and-how-dispose-unused-medicines