What do you do with medications that are expired, unwanted or unneeded?
Do you throw them in the trash? Flush them down the toilet? Or do they take up space in your medicine cabinets for years?
Sadly, all three of those scenarios can cause harm to our families and our communities. Medications that end up in the trash can be fished out and abused, while those that end up in landfills can harm animals and the environment. Pills that are flushed down a toilet or a drain can seep into our water systems, again causing environmental damage or even contaminate our drinking water. And besides taking up valuable space in your home, meds that remain in the home are open to be stolen and abused or taken accidentally by children or even adults with memory or cognitive impairments.
Drug Take Back Bins: A Total Win-Win
Fortunately for us in San Diego, there are 26 pharmaceutical take-back bins that will safely and securely accept these medications! Once collected the unwanted meds are completely incinerated at a waste energy facility that then converts them into renewable energy! This ensures the medications will not enter the environment. This solution blew me away!
What Can Go in the Bins, and What Can’t
Here’s what can go in the Bins:
- Prescription medications
- Over-the-counter medicines
- Medicated ointments and lotions
- Pet Medications
Here is WHAT SHOULD NOT BE PUT IN THE BINS:
- Cannabis
- Illegal controlled substances (like heroin, LSD, cocaine, etc)
- Medical sharps and needles
- Epi-pens and other auto injectors
- Mercury thermometers
- Meds containing iodine
- Radiopharmaceuticals
- Chemotherapy or cytotoxic meds
- Asthma inhalers and other compressed cylinders or aerosols
- Vitamins and supplements
- Business and medical waste
How Meds Should Be Delivered
If possible, transfer pills into a zipped plastic bag before placing in the bin.
- Leave medicated ointments and lotions in their original containers, with the lids tightly sealed,
- Always remove or obscure any personal information that might appear on the packaging, like names, addresses or medical info.
Find the Nearest Drug Take-Back Bin Near You!
There are 26 bins throughout San Diego County at the time of writing this article. They’re in secure spots where they can be monitored securely, and it’s contactless and anonymous.
See the website to find a drug take-back bin near you: https://www.takebackdrugs.org/
In 1999, Aaron was named Residential Program Manager of a group home for disabled adults in Arlington, Virgina. Here, he built a reputation for being compassionate with his clients and efficient in company operations. In the years that followed, Washington DC’s human services field went through unprecedented reform when the city was fined $11 million for the previously unchecked abuse, neglect, and exploitation of the very population it was supposed to protect. In 2005, Aaron was selected by a watchdog company to co-create and implement a monitoring system to safeguard and advocate for the system’s most vulnerable residents. This system is still in use today.
Aaron is now using his unique gifts and profound experience in the human service field to provide San Diego County Seniors with dependable, compassionate caregivers through Aaron Home Care.
He currently serves on the board of the San Diego Regional Home Care Council and is an active member of the Senior Advocate Network of San Diego.
Aaron Home Care is a member of the American Board of Home Care and is accredited by the Better Business Bureau.
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