Medicines are composed of substances that may or may not be harmful to you after their expiry date. Sometimes, even if the container is empty, it still poses a threat to the environment; therefore, it should be disposed of immediately.

Now, the question is, how do we decide which pill bottle is safe to keep and which one should be discarded?

Let’s find out in this article.

Over-the-Counter Medicine versus Prescribed Medicine

There are two types of medicines – the ones that can be easily brought from a medical store without any prescription and those that need a written prescription for a health professional. Both of these types have certain substances that cure the problem at hand and can also have a poisonous reaction if not appropriately handled.

However, over-the-counter medicines, such as ibuprofen or naproxen do not contain substances that can be harmful to the environment. The bottles these medicines are kept in can be easily tossed into a bin, as they do not pose any harm to the one handling the garbage.

However, prescribed medicines that contain substances like morphine, diazepam, or codeine should be tackled with extreme care. You can neither leave them unattended nor unguarded after their use. The pill bottles of such medicines should be disposed of properly; otherwise, they might threaten the environment or the one handling the waste.

How to Dispose of Such Waste?

Before you plan to dispose of prescribed medicinal bottles, you should clean them with soap. Use warm water to properly wash them off and then check for the labels. Anything containing personal information, such as your name, medical history, or any other detail, should be taken off the bottle before disposal.

Hazardous Waste

As mentioned above, pharmaceutical waste may or may not be hazardous to the environment. It depends on the nature of the substances included. Even though they are prescribed for consumption, their packaging can harm the environment. Therefore, these medicinal bottles need to be disposed of properly.

The following are the classified drugs that should be tackled responsibly:

1. All those medicines that are composed of heavy metals should be discarded with care.
2. All those P-listed medicines that include warfarin and nicotine should be discarded with care.
3. All those U-listed medicines that include melphalan and lindane should be discarded with care.

Final Word

Pill bottles should be discarded, regardless of the substances used. However, you need to ensure that they are disposed of properly to avoid unfortunate incidents. Call a professional and let them take care of all the pharmaceutical waste.