Where to take old, expired or unused medication and medical sharps for safe disposal

Canterbury community pharmacies will now accept surplus (no longer needed) and expired medication for safe disposal. This removes a potential hazard from people's homes where old medicines can all too easily be taken in error or disposed of unsafely.

The service also allows people to return used medical sharps for disposal (including needle/syringes used for cytotoxic medication), as long as they are safely packaged as agreed by the pharmacy.

Canterbury District Health Board has been working with their Canterbury Clinical Network partners the Canterbury Community Pharmacy Group to support and promote this service which is free to the community. Community pharmacies will use stickers on prescription bags, issue advice tailored to users of medical sharps, and have a general information flier about the service.

You can talk to your local community pharmacy about what they accept and how to bring it in safely.

Please never throw medication or medical sharps into your bin or flush down the toilet.