In the medicine cabinet, there are always those that end up not being used in their entirety, or whose expiration date has already passed. And then there’s the whole panoply of bottles and blisters that remain after you’ve taken them. But what to do with it all in the end? Here’s how to dispose of medicines, their packaging and pharmacy waste correctly.
When it’s time to throw away a medicine – either because we’re not going to use it or because the expiry date has passed – the destination isn’t the recycling garbage can and, ideally, it’s not the regular garbage either. This waste should be delivered to the pharmacy. And if you say medicines, you mean blister packs, syrup bottles and their plastic spoons, boxes and even leaflets.
Valormed (the company responsible for managing waste from empty packaging and discarded medicines) explains everything in detail: Pharmacies must hand in not only the medicines you no longer use/need and those that have expired, but also the materials used to wrap and package the products (empty cartons, information leaflets, bottles, blisters, ampoules, tubes, etc.). Accessories used to facilitate administration (spoons, cups, dosing syringes, droppers, cannulas, etc.) should also be handed in.
You can always have a bag at home in which you store this waste and, once it’s full, deliver it to the pharmacy. By handing them in, you’re preventing soil and water contamination. Medicines and their constituents, particularly the active substances used in their production, are harmful to the environment. That’s why you should never dispose of them in the general waste or sewage system, points out Sociedade Ponto Verde.
In most pharmacies and parapharmacies, there is a Valormed cardboard container where you can deposit this waste. If it’s not visible, ask the pharmacist and they’ll be able to give you the bag.
Do not hand in or deposit needles, syringes or any other sharp material, mercury thermometers, electrical or electronic devices, dressing and surgical material (gauze, absorbent cotton, ethyl alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, etc.), chemical products or detergents, diapers and X-rays (which in this case should only be handed in when AMI launches its annual collection campaign in community pharmacies).
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