Publix Pharmacy has installed drug-disposal kiosks in select pharmacies in five states for customers to dispose of leftover or expired prescription medications.
Publix is the latest among pharmacy retailers and health care providers to encourage consumers to properly dispose of medicines to prevent misuse or abuse as well as to reduce the environmental impact.
“We know many customers are concerned about where their unused prescriptions will end up,” said Publix vice president of pharmacy Dain Rusk in a press release Monday.
“These kiosks are a convenient, easy way to dispose of medicines that are no longer needed.”
In addition to the kiosks, Publix Pharmacy offers drug-disposal packets free of charge to customers who receive a less than 28-day opioid prescription and for all other prescriptions upon request.
When combined with water in a prescription bottle, the contents of the packet inactivate the medication and the bottle and medication can be thrown away.
For the full list of Publix Pharmacy drug-disposal kiosk locations, visit publix.com/drugdisposal.
On its web page Publix also explained “illegal drugs, controlled substances, thermometers, inhalers, lotions/liquids, aerosol cans, needles, and hydrogen peroxide are NOT accepted.”