How to dispose of old or unwanted medicines in Australia

How do I get rid of medicines I don’t need?

Take them to a pharmacy. Almost every community pharmacy in Australia has a Return Unwanted Medicines (RUM) bin, and the scheme is free. It’s funded by the Australian Government.

1. Sort them. Go through the places you keep medicines, check the expiry dates and pick out what you no longer need.
2. Unpack them. Take the medicines out of their boxes and bottles and put the packaging in your recycling. Collect the medicines in a bag.
3. Return them. Take the bag to the dispensary counter, where scripts are filled, and ask the staff to put it in the RUM bin.

You can return medicines to any pharmacy in the scheme, not only the one you bought them from.

Why not put them in the bin or down the toilet?

Medicines thrown in the rubbish or flushed away can contaminate the environment. Kept at home, old medicines can be taken by mistake, especially by children and older people, or eaten by pets.

What can go in the RUM bin?

Any medicine, whether prescribed, bought over the counter or from a health food shop:

• tablets, capsules, liquids, creams, ointments and gels
• eye drops, ear drops and nasal sprays
• asthma inhalers and other puffers
• vitamins, minerals and herbal medicines
• insulin, and unused adrenaline (EpiPen or Anapen) injectors, out of their packaging
• medicines for your pets
• vape liquid and cartridges.

Strong pain relief patches and other controlled medicines are accepted too. The pharmacist disposes of them under their state’s rules, so hand them over at the counter.

What can’t go in?

Empty dose administration aids, such as Webster-paks, don’t go in the bin either. Return the medicines in them, and ask the pharmacy about recycling the pack.

What do I do with needles and syringes?

Put used sharps in a puncture-proof container. Many pharmacies sell sharps containers that meet the Australian standard, or you can use any puncture-proof container with a screw top, such as an empty laundry detergent bottle.

When it’s full, take it to a sharps disposal bin. You’ll find them at hospitals, community health centres, some pharmacies and medical centres, and in some council toilets and parks. Rules differ between councils, so ask your council or pharmacy where to take sharps near you.

Is my privacy protected?

Yes. The RUM bin is kept in a secure area of the pharmacy that a pharmacist supervises. If you’d still rather not hand over packaging with your name on it, take the medicines out of the labelled pack first.

What happens to returned medicines?

They’re incinerated at high temperature at an accredited facility, without anyone going through them. None are reused or sent overseas. Pharmacies collected well over 800,000 kg of unwanted medicines through the scheme in 2023–24.

What if the pharmacy won’t take them?

That’s unusual. Call the RUM office on 1300 650 835, or email info@returnmed.com.au, and they’ll help.

To find a pharmacy to take them to, look up pharmacies near you or browse pharmacies by state.