Spring Cleaning Should Include Your Medicine Cabinet
Drug Take Back Day highlights safe, year-round medication disposal options
4/21/2026
Marissa Harle, Aspirus Pharmacy Resident
As families begin spring cleaning, health experts are encouraging people to take a closer look at one often overlooked area: the medicine cabinet. With Drug Take Back Day approaching on April 25, it’s a timely reminder to safely dispose of medications that are no longer needed.
Over time, medications can build up in the home, particularly those prescribed for short-term use or purchased over the counter. Keeping them can create safety risks, including accidental ingestion and misuse.
“Once medications expire, they may not be as effective and, in some cases, not as safe to use,” said Marisa Harley, a pharmacy resident with Aspirus Health.
Cleaning out a medicine cabinet should include more than just prescriptions.
“Don’t forget about over-the-counter items like vitamins, supplements, creams, and eye drops,” Harley said. “Those are easy to overlook, but they expire too.”
Once medications are no longer needed, how they are disposed of matters. Medications should not be thrown in the trash or flushed, as this can create safety and environmental risks.
“Bringing medications to a drop-off site is the safest way to get rid of them,” Harley said. “It helps keep them out of the wrong hands and out of our water systems.”
Drug Take Back Day, led by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), provides designated locations for safe medication disposal.
While Drug Take Back Day helps raise awareness, safe disposal options are available year-round. Many outpatient pharmacies offer permanent drop boxes for safe medication disposal.
To find a Drug Take Back Day location near you, visit the DEA website at www.dea.gov/takebackday.
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