Household Pharmaceutical Waste

Many people have gotten into the habit of flushing waste pharmaceuticals down the toilet because it is convenient, low cost, and prevents unintended use or other diversion. There are better options.

Recommended Disposal Options for Households

Following the waste hierarchy, the department recommends that household pharmaceuticals be managed as follows.

1. REDUCE pharmaceutical waste whenever possible.
• Use all antibiotics as prescribed by your doctor. Not using all doses of an antibiotic could lead to development of antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria [exit DNR].
• Buy only as much as can reasonably be used before the expiration date. For example, don't buy 500 aspirin just because it's cheaper, unless you will use them all.
• When your doctor prescribes a new medication, ask the doctor to prescribe only enough to see if the medication will work for you and in the lowest dose advisable. That way, if the medication doesn't suit you, there is less to waste. Do the same for your pet's medications.
• Reconsider the use of products that claim to be antimicrobial or antibacterial. Washing with plain soap and water has been demonstrated to be as effective as using antibacterial soaps. Even the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends plain soap in its handwashing procedure. Antimicrobial agents such as triclosan may harm the environment and any bacteria not killed by the products can contribute to developing antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria [exit DNR]. For more information, see Pharmaceutical Resources.
2. REUSE/RECYCLE drugs when possible.
• Wisconsin allows certain pharmacies to take back unit doses of drugs for cancer and chronic diseases. Certain drugs can be returned for re-issuance through the Cancer Drug Repository [exit DNR]
• You may be able to donate other items; however, the circumstances where this is possible are limited. Additional information is provided at Donating Medical Items. While it is a noble intention, it is very unlikely that medications from households would be acceptable for use overseas. If you see an opportunity to do this, approach with caution and research the program well.
3. DISPOSE of the remainder properly.
• Whenever possible, take your unused pharmaceuticals to a pharmaceutical collection program or event. The University of Wisconsin-Extension Solid and Hazardous Waste Education Center (SHWEC) [exit DNR] maintains a listing of upcoming pharmaceutical collection events on the SHWEC Web site. Typically these are one day events; however, some are ongoing or are scheduled to take place on a regular basis, e.g., weekly or monthly. Pharmaceuticals are generally not collected at permanent household hazardous waste collection facilities due to the requirement to have law enforcement and, ideally, trained pharmacists present during the collection.
• If a drug collection program does not exist in your area, encourage your health care provider, local governments and local law enforcement to develop one. Note: If you choose to store your waste while you wait for a pharmaceutical collection event to occur, please minimize the risk of accidental poisoning, overdose or diversion (illegal use by someone other than the intended person) by storing medications out of reach of children or in a locked cabinet.
• 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. Our burn barrel fact sheet provides additional information.
• Do not put sharps in the trash! Syringes, lancets and other sharp medical items should be managed separately. See Sharps Disposal.

Collecting Household Pharmaceuticals

DNR has written guidance for organizers of household pharmaceutical collection events in the publication entitled Collecting Unwanted Household Pharmaceuticals (PUB WA1024) [PDF 184KB]

Pharmaceutical waste at non-hospital healthcare facilities [PDF 54KB] can help organizers of collection events decide whether or not they accept discarded medications from nursing homes, community based residential facilities, residential care apartment complexes, assisted living, adult family homes and hospice care providers. Persons managing these facilities may also wish to review this publication, to determine whether to manage their waste as household or non-household pharmaceutical waste.

The organizers of the collection events are responsible for finding funding for their collection(s). DNR is not directly involved in organizing events such as these and the agency currently does not have any grants available for pharmaceutical collections.

The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) offers grants to local municipalities and other local government agencies to host pharmaceutical clean sweeps. For more information, go to DATCP's Clean Sweep [exit DNR].

Contact Information

For questions and comments about household pharmaceutical waste, contact:

DNR Waste Materials@Wisconsin.gov