What did you do for Earth Day?  I spent the afternoon working with music students preparing for the spring recital and upcoming solo festival.  As a result, there were several people who were visiting my music studio for the first time.  I don’t normally look at my studio with the eyes of one who has never been there, but I did today.  What did they see?

There’s the ladder which still leans on its side against a long wall since the studio was painted last fall.  The empty paint cans in the corner of the piano room.  I’ve been meaning to dispose of those properly.  You can’t just throw away paint cans with the regular trash.

If you looked very closely, you might see a couple of prescription bottles on the bookcase behind my teaching chair.  Those medication bottles have been on my shelf for years now and I know that the drugs held within are beyond their expiration date.  Another thing which I have been meaning to take care of “one of these days.”  But just as it’s important to know how to probably dispose of the paint cans, it is equally important to know what you can do with your leftover medications or empty syringes.

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), most drugs can be safely thrown in the household trash under certain conditions (ie. crushing first and/or combining with kitty litter or coffee grounds).  The FDA recommends that a few drugs should be flushed down the toilet or may be disposed of down the sink (a current list can be found here).  Another option is the periodic community-based “take back” programs which are becoming more common.

2nd Annual National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, April 30, 2011

As unwanted and unused prescription drugs can pose a health risk for abuse, the National Drug Enforcement Agency joined forces with approximately 3,000 state and local law enforcement agencies in September 2010 for the first National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.  More than 121 tons of pills were turned in on that day by millions of people and the effort is being repeated next week.

This is a great opportunity to safely dispose of your excess prescription medications which are collecting dust.  Locations throughout the country will be accepting your excess medications from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm on April 30, 2011.  Find a collection site near you.  I discovered that there are more then 20 drop-off locations within 10 miles of my home in the suburban DC area.

Can you donate your excess meds instead?

Some states support programs which will accept prescription medications under very specific and restrictive circumstances.  Very few will take medications directly from patients for safety reasons, some states which will include Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, and Wyoming.  In any event, I recommend that you talk to your doctor about any excess meds you would like to donate in case your doctor’s office offers a way to ensure that  the medication goes to someone who may need it.  This would be especially helpful when dealing with the expensive biological medications we use for diseases such rheumatoid arthritis or multiple sclerosis.