How to Dispose of Expired Supplements Properly

Can you put them in the regular trash?

When you find expired supplements at the back of a drawer, it is tempting to toss them in the household trash, but it is safer to handle supplements and medicines the same way as unused medicines. Tablets and capsules that go down the drain or toilet, or into landfill, can pollute water and soil, and products containing antibiotics in particular can contribute to drug-resistant bacteria.

Using a medicine take-back bin (Korea)

In Korea, the safest option is a dedicated unused-medicine collection bin at your district office, community service center, or public health center. If you are not sure where one is, you can look up nearby bins with an online location service. If it is hard to get out, you can also use a postbox. In that case, only tablets, capsules, and powders are accepted, not liquids or syrups.

Labeling the envelope for postbox disposal

To dispose of medicine through a postbox, use the dedicated unused-medicine envelope handed out at community service centers, or write "폐의약품" (unused medicine) on the outside of an ordinary paper envelope. Put tablets, capsules, and powders in still sealed in their packaging. Opening them risks the contents spilling or someone taking them by mistake.

Outside Korea

Many countries run similar take-back schemes, often through pharmacies. In the US, the FDA recommends drug take-back locations or events first; if none is available, most medicines can be mixed with something unappealing such as used coffee grounds or cat litter, sealed in a bag, and put in the household trash (only a short list of specific drugs should be flushed). Check your local pharmacy or municipality for the rules where you live.

Sorting plastic bottles and blister packs

Once empty, plastic tubs and bottles can be rinsed and recycled with plastics. For foil blister packs, if you can separate the aluminum film from the plastic, recycle each; if not, put them in general waste. The key is to handle the packaging and the contents (the pills) separately rather than throwing them out together.

Check the expiry date before you buy and take

Best of all is not to have leftovers in the first place. Before buying, make sure you can actually finish the amount, and if you have stocked up on several bottles, get into the habit of taking the ones closest to their expiry date first. Expired products not only lose effectiveness but may also have deteriorated, so do not take them just to avoid waste; dispose of them as described above.