Proper drug disposal is important because it helps protect human health and our environment. Where possible, EGLE encourages medications requiring disposal be incinerated, to destroy the chemical formulations and prevent them from reaching water resources used for drinking water.
Never flush unwanted medications or drugs down the toilet or sink!
Healthcare providers can visit our non-household drug disposal page for resources understanding drug disposal regulations and what they require. As of 2019, healthcare providers have been prohibited from sewering hazardous waste pharmaceuticals for disposal.
Medications should be kept secure when in the home to prevent unlawful use and accidental poisoning.
When drugs are no longer needed, they should be taken to a collection for incineration to destroy the chemicals within them and prevent them from entering the water resources we use for drinking water.
If this is not available, use the following recipe as a last resort to dispose of expired, unused, or unwanted drugs.
Do not dispose chemotherapy drugs this way, talk to your prescribing doctor instead.
Watch this short video and
learn how to safely get rid of
the extra medication in your home
Chemotherapy drugs are typically not accepted at independently hosted take back locations.
To find safe disposal options for chemotherapy drugs, work with your prescribing doctor or dispensing pharmacist.
To find options for donating unwanted chemotherapy or prescription drugs, visit:
For questions on donation options, contact LARA at 517-241-0205 or BPLHelp@Michigan.gov.
Disposal of controlled substances is overseen by the federal U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
For general questions about drug disposal, please contact us at EGLE-DrugDisposal@Michigan.gov
