Islanders with expired or unused pharmaceuticals no longer have to wait for a cleanup campaign to safely dispose of them. In PEI, hazardous waste is regulated by the Waste Resource Management Regulations and the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, Interprovincial Movement of Hazardous waste Regulation, established a permanent take-back program that allows Islanders to take unwanted prescription and over-the-counter medications to local pharmacies for environmentally safe disposal.

In addition to Island pharmacies, pharmaceuticals, as well as other household hazardous waste, may be taken directly to any of the IWMC Drop-Off Centers for safe disposal. For more information, call the Island Waste Management Corporation (IWMC) at 1-888-280-8111 or visit their website at http://www.iwmc.pe.ca/

Tips for Safe Storage and Disposal of Pharmaceuticals

  • Keep medicine away from children and pets, out of sight and out of reach.
  • Keep medicines in a cool dry place away from direct light - a good suggestion is in a box that can be locked or a high shelf (the cabinet in the bathroom is the worst place to keep your medicines - it gets too damp and too warm).
  • Keep medicines in their original labelled container and keep the cap closed.
  • Do not store medicines with food or household products.
  • At least once a year go through all the medicines to remove unwanted drugs and return to a pharmacy for proper disposal
  • Never dispose of pharmaceuticals by washing them down the drain, placing them in your compost cart, waste cart or blue bags, or flushing them down the toilet. Return them to your local pharmacy for safe disposal.

    Information for the Public

    All retail pharmacies participate in this take-back program. You may return unwanted prescription and over the counter medication to your pharmacy for environmentally safe disposal.

    Information for the Pharmacist

    Under this take-back program, pharmacies province wide will serve as drop-off points, safely storing products that Islanders return to their counters. The pharmacies will then deliver the products to one of the Waste Watch Drop-Off Centers, at which time Island Waste Management Corporation will arrange for the pharmaceuticals to be disposed of at a licensed hazardous waste disposal facility off-Island.