Expired/Out of Date/Not useful Medications

What does one do with expired medication (prescription/OTC) ?  I used to return it to the pharmacy for disposal in the US. Do similar return schemes exist here? 

(I'm not throwing away- very bad for the water supply and animals!)

I *think* you should be able to return it to a pharmacist.  (a UK colleague concurs)

Yes you can take it to the chemist to dispose of it

Yes, definitely take it to a pharmacy (it is advised that they are not thrown away with normal rubbish) - pharmacies will have special medicine disposal bins for the medication and it will be destroyed safely. At our pharmacy, we dispose of old/out-of-date medicines given to us by customers all the time . The only medicine items we cannot take are sharps (such as needles), which I think have to be taken to a doctor's surgery for disposal.

Thank you all very much 

Huh. I never knew you couldn't throw it away (I knew not to flush it, though.) I also didn't know I could take it back to a pharmacy to dispose! I have some stuff I could do that with. Do I need to take it out of the packaging? I've got some old cold meds in blister packs (OTC stuff).

Huh. I never knew you couldn't throw it away (I knew not to flush it, though.)

It's safer to dispose of it properly through a pharmacy because if you just put it in the bin then anyone could get their hands on it (i.e. pets, children) and decide to take some of it (especially important if it's prescription medication). Also, it can still end up damaging the environment later down the line if it ends up in a landfill site and then leaks out into the soil.

I have some stuff I could do that with. Do I need to take it out of the packaging? I've got some old cold meds in blister packs (OTC stuff).

Usually people just come in with a plastic shopping bag with their medicines inside - some still in their boxes, some in blister packs, some in bottles etc.... just bring it in whatever packaging it's already in (don't take it out of the blister packs or anything though).

Thanks, ksand!

Ha, I asked a day too early- I was in my GP's surgery earlier and there was actually a poster up about not binning, flushing, or dumping any medication and to bring it to a chemist for proper disposal.

I didn't know this either!