What They Accept and Why It Matters

Typically, collections for household medicine accept unwanted or expired medicine, including both prescription and over-the-counter medicine. There are numerous benefits to these collections:

• Unwanted medicine accumulating in the household presents a public safety hazard.
• They keep drugs out of toilets and trash bins helping limit pollution from wastewater treatment discharge and unlined solid waste landfills.
• Collections raise awareness about the environmental impact of improper medicine disposal.
• A collection program provides the opportunity offer insight into unused prescriptions that may help doctors improve prescribing practices.

A Growing National Trend

Several states, cities, and counties throughout the United States have successfully started long-term unwanted medicine collection programs, while others have organized single-day or annual collection events. Some efforts focus solely on medicine; others collect drugs as part of broader household hazardous waste programs.

Programs such as the United States Drug Enforcement Administration’s Take Back Day have stepped up to fill the void – offering consistent, biannual collections across the country. DEA-sponsored collections as part of this program are typically offered in April and October, and have been ongoing for more than ten years, growing in popularity as communities and residents learn more about this issue and decide to take action.

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