Information for Law Enforcement Agencies that Collect Unwanted Household Medicines
On this page:
- The Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take-back Days
- Permanent Take-back Kiosks
- Memo About Safer, More Cost-Effective Management
- Memo Recommending Incineration for Pharmaceuticals from Take-back Events
- Map of Commercial Waste Combustors in the U.S.
Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take-back Days
We strongly encourage law enforcement agencies to participate in the DEA National Prescription Drug Take-back Days, because when they do, drugs are safely removed from households and ultimately destroyed while conserving local law enforcement resources. Law enforcement agencies that are interested in becoming participants in DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take-back Days should refer to DEA's website.
Permanent Take-back Kiosks
In addition to assisting community organizations and participating in the semiannual DEA Take-Back Days, law enforcement agencies may also choose to collect unwanted household medicines on a more permanent basis by installing take-back kiosks. EPA supports all these efforts and wants to ensure that they are conducted in a manner that is protective of public health and the environment.
Memo to Law Enforcement Agencies About Safer, More Cost-Effective Management of Take-back Pharmaceuticals
Law enforcement agencies should refer to EPA’s 2018 memorandum which provides law enforcement agencies with information on how to more cost effectively manage household pharmaceuticals collected in take-back programs. Specifically, the memorandum describes the various options law enforcement agencies can use to transport and destroy household pharmaceuticals collected in take-back programs consistent with the applicable regulations under EPA, DEA, Department of Transportation, and U.S. Postal Service.
In the memo, EPA clarified that law enforcement agencies should NOT use “burn barrels” or any other uncontrolled open burning method or technology to destroy household pharmaceuticals collected during take-back events or in take-back kiosks.
EPA also clarified that law enforcement agencies are not required to drive collected household pharmaceuticals to a combustion facility. The collected pharmaceuticals can be sent for destruction via common carrier (in accordance with DEA and DOT or USPS procedures) for destruction at:
- Hazardous waste combustors.
- Large and small municipal waste combustors.
- Hospital, medical, and infectious waste incinerators.
- Commercial and industrial solid waste incinerators.
- Very small municipal waste combustors that are regulated as other solid waste incinerators.
When law enforcement agencies use common carriers to transport their collected household medicines for destruction, they must use the same liners and follow the same procedures that retail and hospital pharmacies use. Also read page five of the 2018 EPA memorandum addressed to law enforcement.
Memo Recommending Incineration for Pharmaceuticals Collected in Take-back Events
EPA recommends that the collected household pharmaceuticals from take-back events be sent to a permitted hazardous waste combustor as this is the most environmentally protective approach, but the other types of combustors listed above are also allowed. For additional information, check out EPA's recommendation for incinerating pharmaceuticals from take-back events.
Map of Commercial Waste Combustors in the U.S.
EPA created a map of the locations of the various types of allowable commercial waste combustors. When law enforcement agencies use common carriers to send their collected household pharmaceuticals for destruction, they may ship them to any DEA-registered reverse distributor. Vendors of take-back kiosk liners sell them with outer packaging that is postage-paid, pre-addressed and DOT compliant. However, if a combustor is nearby, it may be more cost effective for law enforcement to drive the collected household pharmaceuticals to a combustor and witness the destruction. The map is intended for law enforcement agencies to determine whether it is feasible to drive collected household pharmaceuticals to a commercial waste combustor versus simply purchasing take- back liners/outer packaging and shipping the collected household pharmaceuticals to a DEA-registered reverse distributor via common carriers.