Pharmacy Practice Handbook states:

4.1.16  Disposal of Unused, Returned or Expired Medicines

Members of the public should be encouraged to return unused and expired medicines to their local pharmacy for disposal.  Medicines, and devices such as diabetic needles and syringes, should not be disposed of as part of normal household refuse because of the potential for misuse and because municipal waste disposal in landfills is not the disposal method of choice for many pharmaceutical types.  Handling and disposal should comply with the guidelines in NZ Standard 4304:2002 – Management of Healthcare Waste.

Medicines should be disposed of by high temperature (in excess of 1200oC) incineration, or by other means that render the substances non-hazardous to the environment.  All areas in New Zealand have access to services for the collection and appropriate destruction of pharmaceutical waste.

Disposal in a compliant segregated landfill is an option, for example for aerosol canisters that would explode on incineration, or for small quantities of solid and semi-solid pharmaceuticals – typically not more than 1% of the total daily waste – when disposed of with large quantities of other municipal solid waste.  However, this method is dependent on the policy of the local authority, and is not the preferred one for disposal.

Small quantities of medicines, particularly non-toxic liquid medicines that are readily biodegradable, can be diluted and flushed into a sewer.  Medicines must not be disposed of down surface water drains, eg into road or rainwater drains, rivers, lakes or into slow-moving or stagnant surface waters.

Antibiotics and hormones should not be discarded in an untreated form.  Cytotoxic medicines must be disposed of very carefully.  They need to be separated from other pharmaceutical waste, identified as cytotoxics and destroyed by high temperature incineration.

Controlled drugs need to be destroyed under pharmacist supervision, witnessed, and a record of destruction sent to the local Medicines Control Advisor.  See section 3.4.7.  Small quantities could be disposed of by flushing to the sewer (crushing tablets beforehand), however, they are best rendered unusable and mixed with other pharmaceutical waste to be destroyed by incineration or other means of rendering non–hazardous.

The Needle Exchange Services Trust (NEST) offers a convenient and economical disposal service for pharmacy waste from all pharmacies (not just needle exchange pharmacies).  A 32 litre bin, separate from the needle exchange sharps bin, is provided and collections made every 8 weeks.  Almost any sort of hazardous waste can be put in the bins, such as out-of-date tablets, creams, injections, dosing cups, diabetic waste, urine testing strips, gloves.  Removing the packaging first enables more to be fitted into the bin.  Liquids must be in a container.  Cytotoxic medicines and flammable products are not included in the service.  Contact NEST on 03 366 9403 for a brochure and costs.

Interwaste, a national medical-waste disposal company provides a complete pharmaceutical waste disposal service as well as technical support.  They can be contacted at Auckland phone 09 256 8534, Wellington phone 04 566 6600, Christchurch phone 03 344 5000 or Dunedin phone 03 479 0078.

The DHBs in many districts, including Capital and Coast, Hutt Valley, Wairarapa, MidCentral, Tairawhiti, Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Waikato, Canterbury, Whanganui, and Northland provide waste disposal services for community pharmacies.  For further details contact the Pharmacy Portfolio Manager at your DHB.