Pharmacies hosting take-back bins make responsible disposal easy
by Anne Stokes
Sometimes you’re left with medication you don’t need: A medication doesn’t work for you and your doctor puts you on something else, or you don’t need all the painkillers left over from surgery, or a loved one passes away, leaving you with bottles of expired pills. In the past, people were offered less than responsible disposal options: Flush it down the drain or mix it up with undesirable materials like coffee grounds or kitty litter and throw it in the trash. You could also wait to hear about an annual medication take-back event nearby and keep everything in your medicine cabinet until then.
Today, there are safer and more responsible disposal options. We now know the risks of misuse associated with hoarding medications at home—particularly painkillers like opioids—as well as the environmental risks that medications flushed down the drain or left in landfills pose to plants, wildlife and municipal drinking water supplies. Safe disposal drug take-back bins provide convenient and easily accessible ways to ensure your medications don’t do more harm than good.
“We’ve realized things need to be disposed of properly. That’s why these bins are so helpful. For people that have lots of medications, it’s a convenient way for them to dispose of all them, especially if they’re expired or they’re no longer taking them,” says Paul Gaura, Patient Care Services manager for Albertsons’ Companies, Inc. “When medications are not properly disposed of, they can actually be harmful to family members and the surrounding community. Excess, unused and expired medications can accidentally be consumed or abused, all leading to potential severe health consequences.”
“Take-back bins are a key step in eliminating excess medications from either accidentally being ingested or being abused.”
Paul Gaura, Patient Care Services Manager, Albertsons Companies, Inc.
Gaura says that all Albertsons, Vons and Pavillion pharmacies host take-back bins, offering responsible disposal options for patients looking to get rid of their unwanted medications—ideally at the same time they’re picking up new prescriptions or grocery shopping. Materials are then picked up and disposed of safely and according to state laws and regulations.
“By having or creating an accessible and convenient method for medication disposal, individuals will be more likely to dispose of excess unused and expired medications,” he says. “Customers do find the bins very useful when disposing of medications they no longer need and often will bring multiple bottles of medications at a time for disposal. I would say the bins are used almost on a daily basis in multiple locations.”
In 2018, California passed SB 212, a pharmaceutical and sharps waste stewardship law, which holds pharmaceutical companies responsible for the safe collection and disposal of their unwanted products. The end result is a statewide network of take-back bins designed with public safety in mind.
“Take-back bins are a key step in eliminating excess medications from either accidentally being ingested or being abused. They also make sure medications don’t end up in our food or water supply,” says Gaura. “So for both the health of the community and the protection of wildlife, we ask that [people] please continue to support … these important programs so pharmacies can continue offering this type of service.”
To find a bin near you, visit medtakebackcalifornia.org.
Read more stories about med bins in California’s High Desert, Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange County, Sierra Nevada, San Diego County, and South Central Valley.
