🚨What do you do with expired medicines? How to dispose of unused pharmaceuticals

How do you dispose of expired medications?

I removed the plastic from the pills and put them in a zipper bag to dispose of at the pharmacy.

When I moved and went to the pharmacy in front of my neighborhood and told them it was expired medicine, they said they wouldn't accept it, so I was confused.

They said this is not mandatory.. Fortunately, another pharmacy accepted it.

While cleaning today, I realized there are more expired medicines, probably because we have a large family.

Remove the plastic and only collect the pills.

It is said that potions or syrups are collected together in a single container, sealed to prevent leakage, and then dispensed.

There are many people who don't know this and throw it into the drainㅠㅠ

I should dispose of it properly to think of the environment~

 

 

 

Expired or deteriorated and spoiled medicines that can no longer be used are called waste medicines. Simply disposing of these waste medicines in regular household waste bags can cause many problems, so proper disposal is more important than anything else. This is because when waste medicines are buried in the ground or discarded into the sewer, they can cause soil and water pollution due to antibiotics, and they can spread antibiotic-resistant bacteria, threatening our health.

 

Disposal of expired medicines

 

Expired medicines must be disposed of in the 'medication disposal bins' installed at nearby pharmacies, health centers, administrative welfare centers, public facilities, or apartment complexes.
However, since collecting expired medicines is not mandatory for each pharmacy, some places do not accept them even if brought in, leading to calls for improvements in this regard.
You can find nearby medication disposal bins at residential locations by searching for regional medication disposal bins on the Public Data Portal website (https://www.data.go.kr/index.do).

🚨 Disposal methods by type of medication

 

✅Dispensed medication (pill)

Medicine envelopes with personal information and plastic packaging should be disposed of as general waste, and only the pills should be collected separately for disposal.

✅ Pills packaged using PTP (press-through packaging) method

Separate the cases and discharge only the pills.

Powder medication

Discharged in the same condition as the medication pouch.

✅ Medicine and syrup

After collecting all the remaining liquid into a single container, seal it tightly to prevent leakage and then discharge it.

Medications contained in special containers such as ointments, eye drops, asthma inhalers, and sprays

After removing the secondary packaging (such as paper boxes), tighten the cap and dispose of it as a special container.

 

 

[Source: Naver Knowledge Encyclopedia]