The daily consumption of pill bottles in the United States is pretty high. More than 70 percent of the population takes prescription medications – the ratio of which is quite staggering. Safe disposal procedures must be streamlined if prescription medication packaging data is to be managed effectively.

Learn how to dispose of old, expired, empty, or unused pill bottles in this article.

Why Is It Necessary to Destroy Pill Bottles?

The labels on pill bottles contain enough personal information to put you at the same risk as if your medical records were stolen. Therefore, it is critical to dispose of pill bottles for reasons of both security and efficiency. Moreover, you need to adhere to legal compliance to avoid a lawsuit.

Now, the question is, how can you dispose of old pill bottles?

Increasing Security by Shredding Bottles

Even though a pill bottle’s label doesn’t reveal an individual’s complete medical history, there is still enough Personal Health Information (PHI) to inflict various other harms on them.

Pill Bottle Shredder

A pill bottle shredder is used to destroy both the label and the bottle as a whole. Just like shredding paper, you have to prevent a dumpster diver with malicious content from finding a previously used bottle. After all, shredding bottles is an easy way to dispose of them.

How to Dispose of Pill Bottles?

You can either discard them one by one or in bulk.

One at a Time

Even though the labels stuck on the bottles can be peeled off, the only drawback is the amount of time it takes to do so and the resulting waste.

In Bulk

An entire box or container of pill bottles can be destroyed with pill bottle shredding.

Complying with HIPAA rules

Disposal of Personal Health Information (PIH) should be disposed of in accordance with HIPAA regulation. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act mandate that the personal health information (PHI) on prescription drug bottles be protected from unauthorized access (HIPAA).

HIPAA non-compliance penalties can be as high as six figures or even jail time if sensitive information is stolen from the label of a bottle. This makes it essential that all the pill bottles are disposed of properly.

How to Get Ready to Shred Pill Bottles

You will need to separate the old pill bottles from other materials and empty their contents before having them shredded.

Separate Materials for Shredding

Paper shreds can’t be recycled with other materials because of their small size, so separating bottles from paper is important. Throwing them away will mean that they will end up in landfills, which is not only unsustainable but can also end up costing more.

Empty All the Bottles

Before you start shredding, it is critical to remove everything from the bottles so that they don’t get shredded and become dangerous to those exposed to them. As an alternative to shredding the bottles, you should visit a nearby pharmacy that accepts unused medication, such as CVS or Walgreens, before doing so.

Final Word

You should always get rid of the pill bottles after use. Do not leave them unattended as they can pose harm not only to the one that comes in contact with them but also to the environment. Always contact a professional shredding company to complete the process swiftly and properly.