How to Dispose of Unwanted Medications in Atlantic County

You're done taking your prescription medicine and there is still some medication left. What's the proper way to dispose of it - safely?

Don't flush it down the toilet!

That's true for most medicines, although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does say it's OK for some specific medications. The FDA say you should flush these "down the sink or toilet to help prevent danger to people and pets in the home."

Other medications should be disposed of properly. The FDA says one option is to dispose of the medicine, properly, in the trash. Here's what's they recommend about that method:

1. Mix medicines (do not crush tablets or capsules) with an unpalatable substance such as dirt, kitty litter, or used coffee grounds;
2. Place the mixture in a container such as a sealed plastic bag;
3. Throw the container in your household trash;
4. Scratch out all personal information on the prescription label of your empty pill bottle or empty medicine packaging to make it unreadable, then dispose of the container.

There is another, simpler way to rid your household of unwanted medications. They can be disposed of in a specially designated dropbox in front of the Criminal Courthouse in Mays Landing.

This Saturday, April 30, 2016,  a special medication drop-off will be set up at Port Republic City Hall from 10am - 2pm.