Management of Pharmaceutical Wastage

Household chemicals include household prescription, over-the-counter and illegal drugs. These are in the form of pills, ointments, liquids, sprays, prefilled syringes, injection vials, cosmetics, sunscreen agents, diagnostic agents, contact lens solutions, nutraceuticals, etc. The traditional ways of managing unwanted household chemicals, such as flushing them down the toilet, pouring them down the drain, or throwing them in the trash, may be harming our environment and threatening public health. We can help reduce the potential for harm by collecting unwanted household chemicals for better management. The aim of the present paper was to identify and assess the significance of the different pathways of chemicals from the household to the environment. Knowledge of the motivation behind different disposal methods is useful in the management of the release of chemicals in the environment and in the assessment of the associated risk.