In times past, you may have been told by a doctor or pharmacist to flush expired or no longer needed medications down the drain or toilet. The intention was good—to keep these potentially harmful substances from being fished out of the trash by curious kids or pets.

But we now know that our sewage treatment plants aren't necessarily equipped to deal with pharmaceutical waste and the impact on the local ecosystems (and potentially our drinking water supply) is profound.

(Note: see the SMARxT Disposal link below for a list of drugs the FDA does advise flushing down the toilet for disposal.)

Prescription, over-the-counter, and veterinary medicines that are no longer needed or have expired can be safely disposed of by the following methods:

1. Check with your local pharmacy to see if they accept expired medicines for disposal.
2. Fill the prescription bottle with some water to dissolve the remaining pills. This is to discourage someone who might be tempted to ingest whole pills.
3. In a plastic bag, mix leftover pills with coffee grounds or cat litter.

If disposing in the original container, most authorities suggest removing the prescription label first to protect your privacy. But in the event that the medicine is actually ingested, the prescription name and dosage could be helpful. If privacy is a concern, just blacken out any personal information on the label.

If you are using the coffee ground/cat litter method, using an impermeable and non-descript container can also help prevent the drugs from being diverted.