Disposing of Non-Credible Hazardous Pharmaceuticals
Pharmaceutical disposal methods play a key role in keeping the environment and public safe from health hazards and other potential risks.
There are many rules and regulations in place to dictate how medical waste is destroyed, hauled away and even stored. Many of these rules dictate what to do with unused medicine, sharps, and other hazardous waste.
In this post, we’re focusing exclusively on what to do with non-credible pharmaceuticals and those that are deemed no longer returnable.
Non-credible pharmaceuticals are those that have been opened, are expired and can no longer be sent back using reverse distribution.
The first thing you want to check is whether or not it is safe to toss these down the drain or in regular refuse. If not, they’ll have to be handled by a professional medical waste disposal company that knows all the rules for safe destruction and hauling of the meds.
Depending on how much hazardous pharmaceutical waste your facility is generating, you may have up to one year to collect it until it must be responsibly hauled away.
Using dedicated, segregated waste containers, that are separated and labeled accurately based on the type of drug or hazardous waste in each is key. Since much of the waste will be sent for incineration, it is critical that any waste that should not be burned to be separated accordingly. Working with a reputable medical waste hauler also means you’ll get all of the necessary paperwork to ensure safe transport has happened so compliance is never in question.
If you’re unsure what to do with your expired, opened or no longer useful pharmaceutical waste, give Red Bags a call. We’re in the business of helping you to safely transport that waste for disposal.
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