What to do with Medication & Medication Bottles?

By: Tori Carle, MS

Waste Reduction Supervisor

City of Greensboro, North Carolina

One frequently asked question we get is "what do I do with medication bottles?" Well, there are several answers.

First of all, you need to make sure that your bottles are empty. If you need to dispose of any unwanted prescription or over the counter pills or capsules, you can do so at one of 3 locations:

1. 100 Police Plaza, 24/7

2. 300 S. Swing Rd., 8am-5pm, Mon-Fri

3. 1106 Maple St., 8am-5pm, Mon-Fri

Please put prescription pills, patches, and capsules in resealable, zippered plastic bags (no loose pills, please). We cannot accept the following items in the collection boxes:

Liquids, over-the-counter medications, pill bottles, medication containers and packaging, sharps, biomedical waste, and illegal street drugs.

Is your old medication over-the-counter? Place it in kitty litter or coffee grounds, seal it in a plastic bag, and then place it in your household trash. Use this method for liquid medication as well. Medications should never be flushed down the toilet.

To dispose of your medication bottles, use one of these two options:

1. They are technically recyclable in your bin at home. However, there is a good chance that they will not be sorted with the other plastic bottles because of their small size. Any medication bottles that end up in the wrong place cannot be picked out and will eventually go to the landfill.

2. Take your medication bottles, with labels removed, to Reconsidered Goods (www.reconsideredgoods.org) so they can be part of future crafts, mini travel kit organizers, seedling nurseries, or other creative reuse projects.

Do you have other suggestions of how to creatively reuse old medication bottles, or

maybe another use? I personally have heard of organizations in other states that collect them to reuse in animal rescue organizations. If you know of any organizations in need of empty medication bottles, share below!

If you have any additional questions about waste reduction, please do not hesitate to private message or email me at recycle@greensboro-nc.gov.

Recycle Away,

Tori

PS--Email me if you would like to share any of my Ever Wonder Wednesday posts in a community or HOA newsletter. I will be happy to share content and images with you.

Also, if you would like to view a complete list of all our Ever Wonder Wednesday posts, please visit www.greensboro-nc.gov/wonder