Proper Drug Disposal
October 2020
It’s that time of year again. Time to clean out the medicine cabinet. October 24 is the Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. It is opportunity for you to safely dispose of any expired or unwanted medications. Unused or expired prescriptions can lead to an accidental poisoning, misuse, or overdose. Proper disposal can save lives. During last year’s event, 441.5 tons were collected. If you can’t attend Take Back Day, there are other ways to dispose of your medications. The Coastal Empire and Low Country will have 3 collection sites for your convenience. Click here to find a site near you.
Take Back Day Collection Sites
Saturday, October 24, 2020, 10 am - 2 pm
Tybee Island Police Department
Drop off at Tybee Island YMCA
204 5th St, Tybee Island, GA 31328
Beaufort County Sheriff's Department
Drop off at Bluffton Magistrate
4819 Bluffton Pkwy, Bluffton, SC 29910
What does a drug's expiration date mean?
Drug expiration dates are reflective of the amount of time a drug is stable. They also show the date that a manufacturer can still guarantee full potency and safety of a drug. In 1979, a law was passed requiring drug manufacturers to put an expiration date on their products. Expired drugs may not work as well. They may also produce toxic compounds as they degrade.
How do I dispose of medications at home?
• Disposal in household trash – The US. Food and Drug Agency (FDA) has simple steps to safely and easily dispose of your unused, unwanted, or expired medication.
- Mix medications (liquid or pills; do not crush tablets or capsules) with an unappealing substance such as dirt, cat litter, or used coffee grounds.
- Place the mixture in a container such as a sealed plastic bag.
- Throw away the container in your trash at home.
- Delete (scratch out or mark through with permanent marker) all personal information on the prescription label of empty medicine bottles or medicine packaging, then trash or recycle the empty bottle or packaging.
• Flush them – Certain medications can be potentially harmful to others, so they have specific directions of how to dispose of them once you are finished or no longer need them. The FDA (US. Food and Drug Agency) as well as the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) advises to do this if no take back option is available.
Check the prescription label or patient information leaflet to find out if a medication should be flushed. Or the FDA has a list available of medications that are recommended for flushing. Click here to see if one of your medications is on the flush list.
How do I dispose of needles and syringes?
Needles and syringes should be disposed of in a sharps container. However,
another alternative is to use an empty liquid laundry detergent bottle. Sharps containers can be dropped off at drug collection sites, hazardous waste collection points, or through mail-back programs for FDA approved sharps disposal containers. Take care to keep your container out of reach of children and pets.
How do I find a location to drop off my medications?
Medicine Cabinet Cleanout – The City of Savannah offers a free program called Medicine Cabinet Cleanout. Its objective is to keep medications out of the water supply. There are two options to properly discard your medications. The first option is to drop your medications off at the Drug Drop Box located in the lobby of the
Police headquarters at 201 Habersham St, Savannah, GA 31401. The second option is a mailer option. You can call Water Resources at
912-651-2221 to request a postage-paid envelope that you can fill up and return.
Year-round locations - To find a location near you, click here and enter your search information. Within the Savannah area, there are multiple locations available year-round. See the table below to find your nearest location.
Name | Address |
|---|---|
CVS Pharmacy | 5690 Ogeechee Rd Savannah, GA 31405 |
CVS Pharmacy | 4725 Waters Ave Savannah, GA 31404 |
CVS Pharmacy | 500 Pooler Pkwy Pooler, GA 31322 |
CVS Pharmacy | 4717-C Highway 80 Savannah, GA 31410 |
CVS Pharmacy | 410 S Columbia Ave Rincon, GA 31326 |
Walgreens | 700 E. DeRenne Ave Savannah, GA 31405 |
Walgreens | 2270 US Highway 17 Richmond Hill, GA 31324 |
Chatham County Courthouse | 133 Montgomery St Savannah, GA 31401 |
Chatham County Sheriff's Department | 1050 Carl Griffin Dr Savannah, GA 31405 |
Savannah Police Department | 201 Habersham St Savannah, GA 31401 |
Georgia Southern University Police Department | 11935 Abercorn St Savannah, GA 31419 |
Effingham County Sheriff's Department | 130 1st St Springfield, GA 31329 |
Bryan County Sheriff's Department | 95 Public Safety Way Pembroke, GA 31321 |
Liberty County Jail | 180 Paul Sikes Dr Hinesville, GA 31313 |
Sources:
https://takebackday.dea.gov/
https://apps2.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/NTBI/ntbi-pub.pub?_flowExecutionKey=_cF3DDBB9F-3AE3-92FC-63DE-638DD1845F3B_kC3A57F87-DB74-AE44-4021-01DDA70E90A3
https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2018-10/Proper%20Disposal%20Flier%20%28October%202018%29.pdf
https://www.fda.gov/drugs/special-features/dont-be-tempted-use-expired-medicines
https://www.fda.gov/drugs/disposal-unused-medicines-what-you-should-know/drug-disposal-dispose-non-flush-list-medicine-trash
https://www.savannahga.gov/1700/Medicine-Cabinet-Cleanout
https://www.fda.gov/drugs/pharmaceutical-quality-resources/expiration-dates-questions-and-answers
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/drug-expiration-dates-do-they-mean-anything
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/327319#needles-and-syringes
http://www.chathamsheriff.org/Community/Pill-Take-Back-Program
https://stoprxabuseinga.org/prescription-drug-disposal/