Don’t know what to do with your old pills? Here’s how to safely dispose of medication in Toronto

How do you safely dispose of old medication? If your answer is flushing it down the toilet or just throwing it on the garbage can, you’re doing it wrong. But we’ve got you covered. 

Although it might seem intuitive to just flush expired pills or syrup down the drain or simply throw them out, doing so represents risks for the environment. 

In Toronto, medications are considered household hazardous waste, which could be corrosive, flammable or poisonous. These types of waste are never to be put in the garbage, recycling or organic bins, and can also not be poured down the sink or toilet. 

According to the Government of Canada’s website, the improper disposal of human or veterinary drugs releases traces of these pharmaceuticals in the soil and water, contaminating the environment. 

Traces of medication have already been found in the environment, and although they are currently at low concentration levels, that could be enough to cause adverse effects on the environment and on human health. 

To safely dispose of these items, Toronto residents are advised by the city to take old drugs to any pharmacy or to a city Drop-Off Deposit. These deposits are distributed into seven locations across the city, available at the city’s website. 

To drop off any waste at these deposits, residents must be in a safe motorized vehicle, with bikes and manual drop-offs not permitted, and pay a deposit depending on the size of their drop-off before they can dispose of it. 

Alternatively, residents can also dispose of these items at one of the city’s Community Environment Days, which run from April to September. The program aims to reduce the amount of waste that goes into the landfill, but also allows for the safe disposal of hazardous items. 

For more information on the disposal of medication and other items, residents can tap into the city’s Waste Wizard.