don't flush!

Your drugs that is... Since we're on the topic of medicine and waste, I thought it apropos to issue this reminder. When you want to dispose of expired or unused drugs, don't send them on their merry way down the toilet into sewageland. That drug-laced sewage ends up in our precious waterways, changing the sex of fish, or in the case of flushed Prozac, making fish too happy they forget to eat. Medical waste does all sorts of fun damage to the environment.

So what do you do with those old drugs? Some suggestions:

• Contact your pharmacy -- they may have a drug recycling program
• Call your local hazardous waste facility -- they may have recommendations for drug disposal [The New York State site here]
• Smash the pills, put them back in their original container, and put that container in a sealable plastic bag. Throw it out with the trash. The problem here is that plastic doesn't degrade well, and once it does, that medicine is still finding its way out into the environment

Just remember, whatever you do, don't flush!