Disposing of Old Prescriptions

Maybe you have heard the news that our waters have become contaminated by caffeine, antibiotics and a lot of prescription drugs. Maybe you have also heard that the contamination is having an effect on the wild life that inhabits these waters, and on us when we drink tap water drawn from these waters.

Well in the February 2 issue of the Star Tribune the "FixIT" column has a set of instructions on how to keep our old prescription drugs out of our surface waters. Karen Youso talked to folks from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and they say you should dispose of these in the trash -- but you need to make sure that no one else is tempted to use them after disposal, and you need to make sure your identifying information isn't on the prescription bottles.

They suggest that you keep the drugs in their original containers with the safety caps in their childproof position, but that you black out your name on the labels. Also you should add a little water to pills, or a little flour, salt or nontoxic powdered spice to liquids. Tape the containers shut or put them in an opaque container and throw them in the regular trash.

In the trash, these items will be incinerated at a high temperature, which is the only safe way to dispose of them. Burning them at home is a REALLY BAD idea - you shouldn't be burning any home trash anyway. And be sure NOT TO FLUSH them - this is a major way this stuff gets into our surface waters.