Pharmaceutical Waste Management for Businesses and Homeowners

Pharmaceutical Waste Management for Businesses

Florida has adopted by reference EPA’s Management Standards for Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals and Amendment to the P075 Listing for Nicotine 40 CFR 266 Subpart P which became effective in Florida on August 21, 2019.

Under the new rule:

• Healthcare facilities are prohibited from disposing of hazardous waste pharmaceuticals down the toilet or drain [266.505].
• Nicotine replacement therapies (i.e., nicotine patches, gums, and lozenges) are no longer included in the P075 listing for nicotine and are no longer considered hazardous waste. However, nicotine continues to be a listed, acute hazardous waste with the hazardous waste code P075.
• Triple rinsing of containers with acute hazardous waste pharmaceuticals is not required/allowed anymore.
• RCRA Large Quantity or Small Quantity Generators (LQG, SQG) that are healthcare facilities and all reverse distributors are required to opt into and manage their hazardous waste pharmaceuticals in accordance with 40 CFR Part 266 Subpart P. These facilities operating in Florida must notify DEP using the 8700-12 federal form.
• Subpart P is optional for Very Small Quantity Generators (VSQG’s).
• VSQG healthcare facilities have the choice to opt into 40 CFR part 266 subpart P for the management of its hazardous waste pharmaceuticals. These facilities must also must notify DEP using the 8700-12 federal form and comply with all required provisions of 40 CFR Part 266 Subpart P.
• All healthcare facilities and reverse distributors are required to document training programs for employees who handle hazardous waste pharmaceuticals, comply with accumulation standards and labeling requirements, submit reports, and maintain records related to the management of hazardous waste pharmaceuticals.
• Subpart P FAQs
  • Healthcare Retailers Fact Sheet
  • Medical Providers Fact Sheet
  • Reverse Distributors Fact Sheet
• EPA Step-by-Step Guide to Notifying under 40 CFR 266, Subpart P
• EPA Regulations on the Management of Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals
• EPA webinar on the Management of Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals

For more information, please view Rule 62-730.181 F.A.C.

• Department of Health and specifically the Board of Pharmacy
• Department of Transportation specifically the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
• Drug Enforcement Agency
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration

DEA’s disposal regulations include how your facility can become an "authorized collector."

Guidance on this website should help your facility stay in compliance with Florida environmental regulations.

• You can also learn some ways to minimize the generation of drug waste at your facility
• Find information about how to determine if a drug is a hazardous waste:
  • Hazardous Waste Determination Guidance
• If your facility wants to develop a comprehensive pharmaceutical waste management program, an excellent guide is the USEPA's "10-Step Blueprint for Managing Pharmaceutical Waste in US Healthcare Facilities". With a 2022 update, the USEPA considers the guide to be a valuable compliance assistance tool that can be used by both the regulated community. 

Additional Guidance

• How to manage expired sample medications from doctor’s offices

National Pharmwaste Listserv 

Proper disposal of pharmaceutical waste is an emerging issue nationally as low levels of various pharmaceutical compounds have been found in waterways across the country. This online group provides a national dialogue to organize, discuss, and track ideas, projects, grants, and other issues. Participants are primarily from various government agencies, but others are welcome to join.

Join the Listserv or read the Listserv Archives.

Pharmaceutical Waste Management for in the Home

Do not flush your medicines down the toilet or down the drain.

USEPA has launched a website to provide information to households about proper disposal of leftover medications, including how to use various pharmaceutical take-back programs. This new web area will help the public understand why proper disposal of household medication is needed and what households should and should not do with their unwanted medications. The website will also provide collectors of household medications with information about what they should do with the medications they collect. 

Disposal Sites Or Collection Events

• DEA National Every Day is Take-Back Day- The DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) has hosts national drug take-back days twice a year as well as supporting year-round drop-off locations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I take my unwanted medicine to my pharmacy?

New federal regulations allow pharmacies to have collection programs. You should check with your pharmacy to see if it is available. If not, consider asking them to start a collection program.

Can I take my unwanted medicine to a hospital?

New federal regulations allow hospitals to have collection programs. You should check with your hospital to see if it is available. If not, consider asking them to start a collection program.

Can I take my unwanted medicine to my doctor?

In most cases, your doctor will not be able to take them back. If the doctor is located in a hospital with a collection program, he will be able to direct you to the collection container.

Can I donate my unwanted medicine?

In most cases, no.

Can I put my unwanted medicine in my SHARPS container?

No, medicine should not be disposed of in your sharps container. For information on sharps disposal: Needle Collection Programs

Mail-Back Programs Through Retailers and Disposal Products

Some retailers sell mail-back products for unwanted medicines. These are suitable for household use as long as you follow package directions. There are also products available to mix with medications so they can be disposed of in the trash. They are also designed for use by homeowners.

None of these products are suitable for the disposal of hazardous waste pharmaceuticals from a business like a medical facility or pharmacy. DEP does not regulate any of these products.

Can't find a disposal site or drop-off event?

If you cannot find a disposal site or drop-off event, place the medications in the household trash after taking precautions to prevent accidental ingestion by humans or animals.

To protect the environment, please use these guidelines instead of flushing medications:

• Keep it in the original container. This will help identify the contents if they are accidentally ingested.
• Mark out your name & prescription number for safety.
• For pills: add some water or soda to start dissolving them
• For liquids: add something inedible like cat litter or dirt
• Close the lid and secure it with duct or packing tape
• Place the bottle(s) inside an opaque (non-see-through) container like a detergent container.
• Tape that container closed.
• Hide the container in the trash. Do not put it in the recycle bin.

DO NOT give drugs to anyone else

DO NOT flush drugs down the toilet.

DO NOT put drugs in the trash without disguising them – humans may find them and misuse them.

Other Links

• Household Hazardous Waste
• Hazardous Waste Resources
• Universal Wastes

Contact:

If you would like to discuss pharmaceutical waste management, contact the Waste Compliance Section at 850-245-8707.

Return to the Hazardous Waste Management Main Page.