Dispose of your expired medications properly, until laws are in place that require someone else to do it.

Don’t need them? Don’t flush them.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) released a statement in response to the proposal, saying “there is little, if any, evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of drug take-back programs. In addition to their failure to sufficiently respond to the need for community education on prescription drug abuse, take-back programs do not make environmental sense when the fastest, easiest way to rid the home of unused medicines is to dispose of them in household trash.” Having drug companies handle the take-back is more efficient and it won’t add much to the costs of medications, counters Sheehan. He cites a Canadian take-back program operated by a pharmaceutical manufacturer that cost all of $315,000 for an entire year. “For drug companies, the cost is trivial,” he says. In most areas, the task is currently handled by local governments or pharmacies, which can be time consuming and expensive, adds Sharon Corbitt, director of external communications for the American Pharmacists Association (APA). “Pharmacies have to categorize what they’re taking back, have to sort pills according to class and type of drug,” she says. She also adds that pharmacies can’t take back controlled substances unless law enforcement is involved, which adds to the cost. The Drug Enforcement Agency has strict controls over certain medications to prevent old or unused drugs from getting into the hands of drug dealers or kids. “Pharmacies can’t just collect these things and throw them away themselves,” she adds.

WHAT IT MEANS:With the pharmaceutical industry likely to resist the idea for as long as it can, for now we’ll all have to dispose of our own meds responsibly. Unless there’s a take-back program in your area, that means putting them in the trash, rather than flushing them or pouring them down the drain. It’s the only way most of us can responsibly dispose of unused or expired medications. To help, PhRMA has partnered with the APA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to establish the SMARxT Disposal program, an educational campaign designed to educate consumers about responsible drug disposal.