Disposal practices for unused medications in New Zealand community pharmacies

One of the recommended methods for households to dispose of unused medications in many countries is to return them to community pharmacies. However, such a practice will only reduce the environmental levels of pharmaceuticals if the medications are also disposed of and destroyed properly by the pharmacies.

This study reports the results of a questionnaire sent to New Zealand community pharmacists regarding disposal practices for unused or expired medications in their workplaces.

A pre-tested, self-administered questionnaire was sent to 500 randomly selected community pharmacies from all areas of New Zealand. The participants were asked how they disposed of a variety of medications. In addition, participants were also asked about whether they knew how unused medications were destroyed if their pharmacy used a third-party contractor or distributor to dispose of them.

Of the 265 respondents, 80.4% and 61.1% respectively reported that solid and semi-solid medications were removed by contractors. However liquid and Class B controlled drugs were predominantly disposed of down the pharmacy sink. Over 60% of the participating pharmacists indicated that they believed the contractors incinerated the collected pharmaceutical waste, and over 90% of the participating pharmacists indicated their wish for a state-run disposal and destruction system.

Liquid medications and Class B controlled drugs, which were commonly reported to be disposed of down the sewage system, may increase the potential for environmental pollution by pharmaceuticals in New Zealand. There is a need for increased environmental awareness amongst community pharmacists in New Zealand.