What are best practices?

PILLS

• It is best to dispose of MOST pills by taking them to a Permanent Dropbox location or Bi-Annual DEA Medication Take Back Event.

• If you cannot make it to one of these Dropboxes or Take Back Events, citizens have several other options to chose from.  

  • They can work with a Community Health Worker to assist them with transportation or other local resources.  

  • They can also use a Drug Deactivation Pouch which can be obtained for free from their local Prevention Resource Center or ordered online.  

  • According to the FDA, a person's last solution should be to dispose of them in your trash after following this 4 Step Procedure: MIX, PLACE, THROW AND SCRATCH.

  • The FDA updates an authorized "FLUSH LIST" in the event a person is unable to complete the proper disposal of specific prescriptions. The abusability and lethality of these medications merits their appointment to this list. Contact your pharmacy before ever flushing any medications.

SHARPS

• Visit Springfield-Greene County Health Department's Sharps Handling and Disposal page here for more info.

INHALERS

• Contact your local health department or trash and recycling center for instructions on how to safely and legally dispose of inhalers. Some local police or fire stations can also assist.

• Depending on the location, some Walgreens locations can accept used inhalers to dispose of them. 

LIQUIDS

• Contact your local permanent medication take back site to see if they accept liquid medications.

PATCHES

• Contact your local permanent medication take back site to see if they accept patches.