Peace of Mind Organizing

Time to clean out the medicine cabinet!

23 April 2013

Getting rid of old medications isn’t as easy as I’d like it to be. Flushing them down the toilet (which is what my family did when I was a kid) isn’t environmentally sound. Throwing them in the trash, where others can get them and use or sell them, obviously isn’t a good idea either. And hanging on to them creates clutter and is potentially dangerous, since some drugs can become toxic with age.

From 10 am to 2 pm this Saturday, April 27, the US government will help you dispose of all those pill bottles collecting dust in your bathroom. Saturday is the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s sixth National Drug Take-Back Day. (Over 2 million pounds—1018 tons—of pills were collected during the last five such events.)

Collection sites for unwanted or unused prescription drugs have been set up all around the country, in cooperation with local and state law enforcement agencies. Go the the National Take-Back Initiative’s website to search for a collection site near you. When I entered my zip code, 17 sites within 10 miles were listed. Couldn’t be easier.

You have four days to clean out your medicine cabinet, which will probably take just a few minutes. I urge you to take advantage of this opportunity!

Tagged with: disposal, medications

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