Why shouldn’t you flush or drain unused medications?

Water treatment facilities struggle to filter out pharmaceuticals from the water. As of 2014, there were over 1,500 published reports of the occurrence of pharmaceuticals in sewage, surface water, ground water, and elsewhere. Because of these findings, most federal, state and local authorities are recommending that pharmaceuticals NOT be disposed in the toilet or sink. Effective on August 21, 2019, EPA prohibited all healthcare facilities and reverse distributors from disposing of their hazardous waste pharmaceuticals down the drain (e.g., no flushing or pouring down a sink). This “sewer ban” is in effect at healthcare facilities and reverse distributors of all sizes in all states, territories, and Indian country. In addition to the sewer ban, the EPA strongly discourages the sewering of any pharmaceutical, with very few exceptions, by residents or by any type of facility.