The makers of TYLENOL® recognize that you will occasionally need to dispose of unused medication. As part of our commitment to your safety, we are providing information and resources to help you dispose of unneeded or expired medications in the most appropriate way.

In the event that you find yourself with expired or otherwise unneeded medication, please take the following steps to help ensure the safety of all members of your household — especially children and pets, who may not recognize the potential dangers of ingesting medicines not meant for them.

• First, check with your local pharmacy to see if they participate in a community prescription drug “take-back” program. If so, they'll be glad to safely dispose of the medications for you.
• If a community program isn't available in your area, instead, pour the medication into a sealable plastic bag. If the medication is a solid pill or capsule, add water to dissolve it.
• Add a dry, non-food material (sand, kitty litter, sawdust, coffee grounds, etc.) to the bag.
• Seal the bag and put it in the trash. Try to do this on your regularly scheduled trash pickup day to reduce the amount of time the disposed medication sits in your household trash.
• Remove all identifying personal information from the prescription label before throwing away medicine bottles or containers.

And here are a few things not to do when disposing of medications:

• Do not flush medications down the toilet, or pour them down a sink or drain.
• Do not give expired medications or unneeded prescription medications to friends or family, even if they have the same symptoms that you did.
• Do not dispose of medications in their original container, as anyone (or anything) foraging through the garbage might be inclined to take them.

Consult your pharmacist with any questions, or visit www.smarxtdisposal.net for more information.

How to Dispose of Unused Medicine

Unless instructed otherwise, do not dispose of unused medicines by emptying them into your sink, toilet, or storm drain.

Some states may have regulations regarding pharmacy or community take-back programs in which they may receive and dispose of returned unused drugs for patients. It is recommended that a local pharmacy or local authority be contacted to determine if it participates in such programs.

In the event that medicines cannot be disposed of by take-back programs, place them in the household trash taking the following steps:

• Make sure that they are in an unrecognizable sealed container, ensuring that children, pets, and others do not have access to the contents of the container,
• Dispose of the container in household trash.