http://www.care2.com/greenliving/medicine-cabinet-clean-out.html
Medicine Cabinet Clean-Out
By Melissa Breyer, Senior Editor, Care2
Every time I open my medicine cabinet I think, “Boy I really need to clean this out.” But when I start to think it through, a little flutter of panic somewhere leads me to say, “Yeah, I’ll get to that later.” Old medication, old sunscreen, old make-up. Even if the majority of it is comprised of natural ingredients, I don’t want to flush it and and pollute my wastewater–and is letting this stuff slowly degrade in the landfill any better? I realize I’m trying to protect the environment by storing the expired products in my medicine cabinet–and the clutter-aversion I have is clearly at odds with this strategy.
But today’s the day–I have devised a plan of attack. It starts with determining what needs to be trashed (tips 1 through 3 are courtesy of Donna Smallin author of Unclutter Your Home (Storey, 1999)) and then tackling the greenest disposal methods. Here it goes.
What to toss:
• Dispose of expired prescription medicines and any non-prescription medicines more than 2 years old. They undergo changes in chemical makeup over time, causing the to lose their potency.
• Antibiotics should be disposed of regardless of expiration date. They work only when taken for the prescribed course of treatment, which is usually 10 to 14 days. Taking antibiotics for less than the prescribed course builds up your body’s immunity to antibiotic treatment, which can make it more difficult to treat future illnesses.
• Throw out sunscreen that is more than 2 years old. When in doubt, throw it out because it will be less effective.
• Skin care products, whether all natural or not, go bad. Check for expiration dates on packaging–and if there isn’t a date, use your best judgment. Old skin care products can become tainted with bacteria and harm your skin–some experts suggest disposing of anything you haven’t used in three months.
• Make up turns bad as well–and can harm you if tainted. Check expiration dates. And remember that once opened and exposed to air and light, all make-up has a limited timeframe.
How to toss
In a study published in 2002, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collected and analyzed water samples from 139 streams in 30 states. The goal of the study was to measure concentrations of 95 wastewater-related organic chemicals in water. And guess what? One or more of these chemicals were found in 80 percent of the streams sampled. Half of the streams contained seven or more of these chemicals, and about one-third of the streams contained 10 or more of these chemicals. Pharmaceutical and personal-care products are to blame for many of the chemicals found in the USGS study. Research has shown that there can be effects on aquatic organisms like fish and frogs.
• Don’t flush old products or medications! Even if we just focused on not flushing unused medications down the toilet, it could make a difference. Individuals aside, one study estimated the nation’s nursing homes discard anywhere from $73 million to $378 million worth of drugs a year. Some are incinerated, but many are flushed.
• See if your local household hazardous-waste collection program accepts expired or unused medicines.
• Check to see if your pharmacy has a drug recycling program that disposes of unused or expired drugs in an environmentally safe manner.
If you can’t find an official method of disposal, The Florida Department of Environmental Protection suggests these steps for disposing old medication:
1. Keep in the original container. This will help identify the contents if they are accidentally ingested.
2. Mark out your name and prescription number for safety.
3. For pills add some water or soda to start dissolving them and then, as with liquids, add something inedible like cat litter or dirt.
4. Close the lid and secure with duct or packing tape.
5. Place the bottle(s) inside an opaque (non see-through) container like a detergent container.
6. Tape that container closed.
7. Hide the container in the trash. Do not put it in the recycle bin.
So much work to clean out the medicine cabinet! I think the best lesson here is to be very aware when buying personal care products and medicine. Check expiration dates before you buy something, and only buy enough that you will use in a relatively short timeframe.
Or why not make your beauty products? Care2 has endless formulas for homemade beauty care products that are made from water-friendly kitchen cupboard ingredients that are made in small doses, super inexpensive, safe for you, and safe for the planet. See our True Beauty section for more.
More from Melissa Breyer (497 articles available)
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14 comments
add your comment »Just cleaned out my medicine cabinet
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why is this inappropriate?
Great tips, thanks!
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why is this inappropriate?
Good way to dispose medicine.
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why is this inappropriate?
try herbal stuff it safe
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why is this inappropriate?
There is a sign on many face creams, sun tan lotions and perfumes like a pot with a lid open on it. It usually says 6M or 12 M. I try to write on things the month i bought them and throw them away when they are out of date. Also buying a lot of freshly made products from Lush without preservatives that come in smaller packaging and need to be used quicker.
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why is this inappropriate?
Oh this exactly where I come from, the wanting to ditch and then thinking what will my ditching do in the environment? I know old prescription stuff is taken by pharmacies here in the UK to be diposed of safely (?) and that has been the case for quite a long time now but everythingelse ? Must say I hardly use make-up etc so there is not much else but nevertheless....... very welcome article, thanks.
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why is this inappropriate?
Make your medicine cabinet always updated. And dont forget to stock a normal painkiller and another powerful painkiller for waist pain. Also some first aid kit. If youre living alone especially, when you need instant medicine, (if and hopefully not but) these will be your lifesaver...
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why is this inappropriate?
There are special containers for disposing of things such as syringes - my husband is diabetic and has these. Perhaps that is something to explore using for disposing of all meds.
As for makeup, there may have been a slight error about "disposing of anything you haven’t used in three months". I've understood that the three month limit includes makeup you ARE using as well. I have a "repurpose" for powdered makeup (such as eye shadows and face powders). I carefully scrape them out of their little makeup container slots onto a piece of paper, one (or closely related) color at a time and add to my collection of pigments in my craft supplies. Good for all kinds of craft projects.
When I first collected all these wonderful colors, I realized how versatile they were when blended. It has me thinking of a potential way to have better makeup colors for use AS makeup with less of the bacteria problem and less need for "cleaning out" of the cabinet. One day I will try this: remove the powdered pigments from the makeup containers while brand new into clean permanent containers. Only draw from these containers into your "working" container as needed. Clean the working container before drawing more. You can blend the most wonderful colors you can't find in the stores.
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why is this inappropriate?
In the UK I heard you could return your old prescriptions to any pharmacist. Could anyone tell me if this is true?
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why is this inappropriate?
I think what this article says is not particularly eco-friendly. I either re-use the little pill vials by taking the originals back to the pharmacy each time for refills, or re-use them to store tiny hobby pieces or jewelry. Also, almost all pharmacies will take back expired meds and properly dispose of them. Finally, Carol's post is right: the vast majority of chemical and hormones found in our rivers and lakes are excreted after they go through our bodies.
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why is this inappropriate?
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