Safe disposal of unwanted medicines

Storing expired and unwanted medicines in the home can be dangerous, and disposing of them incorrectly can harm the environment.

It’s best to take these medicines to your local community pharmacy for disposal. This is a free service that includes disposal of: 

• prescription medicines
• over-the-counter medicines
• herbal or complementary supplements
• gels, liquids and creams
• pet medicines.

Most pharmacies will have a ‘RUM bin’ provided by the Return Unwanted Medicines Project- external site. Many keep their RUM bin behind the counter so they can separate medicines such as strong pain relievers that may need to be stored safely or processed by a pharmacist. Please tell the pharmacist what types of medicine you are disposing of before you put them in the RUM bin.

If you have children under the age of 5 in the house, store all potentially dangerous substances such as medicines out of their sight and reach. As this age group is at the highest risk of accidental poisoning, you should lock away all medicines if possible.

Why you should return unused pain relievers to the pharmacy

Having serious pain relievers known as legal or pharmaceutical opioids in the home presents a risk of death or hospitalisation from their improper use. Because of this, follow these recommendations:

• Don't keep strong pain relievers you are no longer using 'just in case' − this can lead to accidental or inappropriate use.
• Don’t leave strong pain relievers where children and pets can take or eat them, or where someone can steal or misuse them.
• Don’t put strong pain relievers in domestic garbage bins or flush them down the sink or toilet, as it is dangerous to others and harmful to the environment.