An Easy Way To Keep Your Wyoming Family Safe

Spring cleaning means you're ready for a new beginning. You'll clean away winter, open the windows, and let fresh air rush through your home. You'll clean windows and baseboards, dust from top to bottom, vacuum your floors, and some may even clean out closets.

Many people miss a task on their spring cleaning checklist: tending to their medicine cabinets. Experts recommend that when you're making out your list of things to do, ensure that the task of cleaning out the medicine cabinet is in bold.

According to the experts, medicines that are out-of-date or no longer used must be properly disposed of for many reasons.

• It can be less effective or risky due to decreased strength or chemical composition.
• Some medicines are at risk of bacterial growth
• They are dangerous when they fall into the wrong hands, like kids, the opioid-addicted, or even your pets.

Opioids are a huge issue all across the U.S. and here in Wyoming, the Wyoming Opioid Epidemic Information Portal is a great resource for information.

There are proper ways to dispose of medicines. Just tossing them into your trash isn't one of them. There are 79 drug take-back drop locations in Wyoming and at least one in all 23 counties.

According to the Wyoming Department of Health, there are steps to dispose of the meds if you cannot get to a drop location.

• Keep the medication in its original container!
  • The labels may contain safety information, and the caps are typically childproof. Scratch out the patient’s name or cover it with a permanent marker. Be sure to leave the content information visible.
• Modify the contents to discourage consumption!
  • Solid medications:  Add a small amount of vinegar to pills or capsules to partially dissolve them. The pungent vinegar smell will hopefully keep pets, other animals, and young children away from the container.
  • Liquid Medications:  Add enough table salt, flour, charcoal, or non-toxic powdered spice (such as turmeric or mustard) to make a pungent, unsightly mixture that discourages anyone from ingesting it.
  • Blister Packs and patches:  Wrap patches and packages containing pills in multiple layers of opaque tape, such as duct tape.
• Seal and conceal! Tape the medication container lid shut with packing or duct tape. Place it inside a non-transparent bag or container to ensure the contents cannot be seen.
• Discard the container in your garbage can, not the recycle bin.