MEDICATIONS

DISPOSAL INFO

Vermont offers a FREE Prescription Drug Disposal System. Access all the details here. There are several options for safely and properly disposing of medications. They should NEVER be placed directly into the trash or flushed down the drain. 

OPTION 1:
You can order FREE, PRE-PAID mail-back envelopes from the Department of Health here. You can find instructions for how to use the envelopes here.

OPTION 2:
Find a year-round disposal kiosk near you. If the sites listed below aren’t convenient, find the list of state-wide locations here.

Kinney Drugs Pharmacy
Materials Accepted: Pills, Patches, Liquids, Aerosols
155 S. Main St., Cambridge
(802)644-8811
Mon-Sat, 8:30AM - 7PM • Sun 9AM - 2PM

Lamoille County Sheriff’s Department
Materials Accepted: Pills, Patches
162 Commonwealth Ave., Hyde Park
(802)888-3502
24 Hours/7 Days

Morristown Police Department
Materials Accepted: Pills, Patches
121 Lower Main St., Morristown
(802)888-4211
Mon - Fri, 8AM - 4PM

Stowe Police Department
Materials Accepted: Pills, Patches
350 S. Main St., Stowe
(802)253-7126
24 Hours/7 Days

Flushing or pouring medications of any kind down the drain has harmful impacts on both human and ecosystem health. It may also disrupt your septic system or the water treatment facility. Click here for more information or check out this Don’t Flush It! guide from the Green Mountain Water Environment Association, the Lake Champlain Basin Program, and New England Interstate Water Pollution Control.

How to Manage Unused Medical Supplies

A Guide from the National Council on Aging

OPTION 3:
Keep an eye out for National Prescription Take-Back Days, offered every spring and fall.

The next National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day will be Saturday, October 26th from 10AM-2PM.

OPTION 4:

If there are no specific disposal instructions on the label, follow these simple steps to dispose of most medicines in the household trash:

  1. Mix medicines (do not crush tablets or capsules) with an unpalatable substance such as dirt, kitty litter, or used coffee grounds.

  2. Place the mixture in a container such as a sealed plastic bag.

  3. Throw the container in your household trash.

  4. Scratch out all personal information on the prescription label of your empty pill bottle or empty medicine packaging to make it illegible, then dispose of the container.

For proper management of specific medications: 

  • Head lice shampoo – bring this to our Household Hazardous Waste Collection Events.

  • Chemotherapy Drugs – return these to the pharmacy or cancer clinic.

  • Anti-neoplastic Medicine – return these to the pharmacy or cancer clinic.

  • Controlled Substances – return these to your local sheriff’s office and look for National Take Back Days.