This month we're going to be curing our bathroom, and we're starting with the medicine cabinet.
The Fed finally got around to issuing guidelines on how to dispose of prescription drugs just about two weeks ago. They may seem overly cautious, but when you think about how lethal a single dose of an adult strength prescription could be to a small child or animal who comes across it in the garbage, it seems worthwhile to take the extra time to follow the guidelines, which are reprinted below the jump.
• Return unused, unneeded, or expired prescription drugs to pharmaceutical take-back locations that allow the public to bring unused drugs to a central location for safe disposal
• [If you can't find one near you,] take unused, unneeded, or expired prescription drugs out of their original containers
• Mix the prescription drugs with an undesirable substance, like used coffee grounds or kitty litter, and put them in impermeable, non-descript containers, such as empty cans or sealable bags, further ensuring that the drugs are not diverted or accidentally ingested by children or pets
• Throw these containers in the trash
• Flush prescription drugs down the toilet only if the accompanying patient information specifically instructs it is safe to do so
Not everyone agrees that these guidelines are the best for the environment. Here's a link to a posting that includes some discussion on that issue.
As for old vitamins, we've heard you can get great results from your houseplants by adding ground-up supplements to their water. Has anyone tried this?
Image: deb5376
maybe the plants would prefer your expired perkisets
Throwing drugs down the toilet is a no-no IMO, however, I've been involved in a home hospice situation and when a person dies, this is exactly what hospice does. They mark the pertinent drugs off their list and throw them down the toilet. I was appalled because all I could envision were little fishes drugged out on Oxycontin and worse, all that stuff seeping into ground water.
I guess that's not their priority.
I think this is an excellent topic to bring up because it causes us all to re-think what happens to things when we no longer need them, and its not just stuff.
Thanks.
I recently dealt with leftover prescriptions, included controlled class (like morphine), after my mother passed away. Her own pharmacy wouldn't take the drugs back, it was frustrating, so I looked around until I found a pharmacy that would. Since then I've encountered many people in the same situation, so I put together a proposal for my local senator (Feinstein), asking that Congress require pharmacies to take medication back and dispose of it properly since it prevents both a safety and environmental hazard. If you want to add your voice, click on my name for Feinstein, other reps emails are available at Congress.org. And, yes, they do actually take notice when multiple voices are expressing the same request (it can be as simple as 'I support legally requiring pharmacies to accept, and properly dispose of, prescriptions meds and supplements).
Lisa, I've used expired supplements on my plants, fish oil & flax oil & some of the herbals. Many of the natural garden preparations are some sort of fish product and the biodynamic garden preparations are almost entirely herbals anyway. The caveat is that since I switched to these methods, I've always had really healthy plants, so I can't give a controlled experiment review of whether adding those supplements in particular worked. The one thing I'd say is add it to water and mix it well, rather than applying it directly, unless it's an oil (which I applied directly to the roots and covered with soil & small rocks to keep my cats away from it).
And one way to help use up vitamin C, before it expires, is to use a small amount ground up (up to half a tablet for a large batch) to homemade pesto to keep it green.
(BTW, my version of biodynamic gardening is enriching the soil to the point that the plant roots have all their necessary nutrients for growth - I don't follow the principles to the letter - but since I've been doing this there is virtually no insect damage in the garden and there are many varieties of beneficial insects visiting naturally).
Oops, 'to the roots' should read 'to the root zone (not bare roots)'
I wonder what the "authorities" do with the drugs when they get them. I encountered the same problem after a friend died and no one wanted them so we flushed all.
Excellent idea from Rucy to contact government officials. I think I'll do that in New York.
Sorry to hear about Rucy's Mom and Coco's friend. I think these experiences can help us do something positive for other people. The idea of working to eradicate the habit of "drug dumping" is a good cause.