A few weeks ago I gave a workshop in Virginia. During this two day event, I had a participant ask me an interesting question. “Janine, you mention decluttering as a primary point of wealth, but what do you do with all those expired prescriptions? My knee jerk reaction to the question was what I had always seen my mom do with outdated medicines, “I flush them down the toilet.” Well, that was not the correct response. Sigh. I had a few folks quickly point out my error by bringing up statistics on water pollution and how “bad” it is to flush products such as these into city treatment systems.

I decided that I needed a bit more education on the topic and did an internet search. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggest when disposing of unused, unneeded or outdated medicines one should:

• take the products out of their original containers;
• mix the drugs with used coffee grounds, cat litter or other undesirable substances to ensure they are not diverted or accidentally ingested by children or pets;
• seal the mixture in impermeable, nondescript containers such as empty jars or sealable bags; and
• throw these containers in the trash.

It is my hope that you, dear reader, are more up-to-date then I was. However, if by chance you too grew up in a rural area and watched your parents use the septic system as a catch all for such potentially hazardous products, then here you go. The official guidelines from major agencies of health on what to do with those little pill bottles that need to be discarded. This keeps the water safe, the children and pets safe and gives you a fresh start on removing clutter from your cabinet. Thank you, Dumfries, Virginia, for setting me on the right path of Prescription Disposal! ;-)