Hanging on to your pet’s old medications can be risky, but what’s the best way to get rid of them?
The safest method is to use take-back programs offered by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, or DEA. These include accessing year-round locations — like collection sites at pharmacies, clinics or police stations — or taking part in national take-back events.
If these options aren’t available, the DEA website has a list of flushable medications.
You can also ask your pharmacy about the availability of prepaid drug mail-back envelopes or DisposeRx packets. The latter forms a disposable gel when mixed with water and medications.
If all else fails, you can combine medications with used coffee grounds or cat litter and seal the mixture in a sturdy container before throwing it in your trash.