Proper way to dispose of expired or leftover medications

This blog article brought to you by Milson Chan, pharmacist at the Beach clinic co-located partner, Queen East Medical Pharmacy.

Something that people often wonder about when cleaning out their medicine cabinets or first aid kits is “What do I do with this medication that has expired?”.

So, how do you get rid of your expired or leftover medications?

Do you:

  • Flush them down the toilet?

  • Throw them out with your trash?

  • Burn them during the next barbecue?

  • Grind them up and use them as fertilizers for your lawn?


Surprisingly, none of the above are actually appropriate!

The proper way to get rid of them is to bring them back to any pharmacy that offer medication disposal. Queen East Medical Pharmacy can help you deal with expired or unneeded medications.

Here are some of the things you should do when you want to properly dispose of your medications:

  • Empty all pills into a bag or container, but keep liquids, creams, and inhalers in their original packaging.

  • Remove any personal identification and information.

  • Recycle other packaging

  • Bring the medications back to any pharmacies (such as Queen East Medical Pharmacy) that offer medication disposal

In addition to disposing of expired medications, Queen East Medical Pharmacy also offers:

  • Senior’s discount

  • Methadone Treatment

  • Flu shots

  • Delivery services

  • Compounding of medications

  • Medication reviews

  • Blister packaging

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If you have any questions regarding medications or our services, please feel free to visit us at Queen East Medical Pharmacy, located at 1874 Queen St. East (northwest corner of Queen St. E and Woodbine) or contact us at (ph) 647-313-1948 and (fax) 647-313-1949.