Q. I asked my pharmacist what to do with outdated prescription medicines and was shocked when he said “flush.” I didn’t, of course. Instead I put them in a container of water to dissolve, keeping it out of reach of my cat.
Then I spread out several sheets of newspaper and “painted” the resulting sludge all over them. After they dried, I tore them up and put them in the trash. Was this a safe way to dispose of them?
A. Your pharmacist was misguided when he suggested flushing pills down the toilet. There is growing concern about pharmaceutical contamination of the water supply.
There is no coordinated system for proper disposal of unused pills. Some communities accept unwanted medications in their hazardous waste collection.
If that’s not feasible, your suggestion seems reasonable. Another reader suggested adding Elmer’s glue to the container and allowing it to set hard before throwing the container in the trash.
