RNC, MUN School of Pharmacy partner for safe disposal of expired and unused drugsPublished Mar 29, 2025 • Last updated 22 minutes ago • 2 minute readMUN Pharmacy students Noah Williams (left) and Jonathon Redmond count and document pills brought to Royal Newfoundland Constabulary headquarters by St. John’s-area residents Friday, March 28, for the annual expired and unused pill drop event. – Tara Bradbury/The TelegramWe wouldn’t keep a container of yogurt in our fridge for years after it went out of date, and for good reason. When it comes our medicine cabinets, however, it seems we’re a little more likely to hold onto expired items.Painkillers left over from that time you had your wisdom tooth pulled a few years ago. Infants’ Tylenol liquid that you once bought for your baby’s fever, and now your baby is eight years old. A tube of Polysporin that hasn’t seen the light of day since 2012. Some local households have quite the time capsules in their bathroom cupboards, pharmacy students in St. John’s learned Friday, March 28.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentAs they’ve done the past number of years, Memorial University’s School of Pharmacy partnered with the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary to host a public pill drop at RNC headquarters. Student volunteers from Memorial University’s Doctor of Pharmacy and Keyin College’s Pharmacy Technician programs were on hand to accept them by the thousands and prepare them for safe disposal.Some of the pills expired before the students were even born. As part of the 2025 public pill drop event, students in MUN’s Doctor of Pharmacy and Keyin College’s Pharmacy Technician programs counted and documented all kinds of expired prescription and non-prescription medications, including some that were more than 35 years old.- Tara Bradbury/The TelegramPrescription meds from 1989It wasn’t just prescription pills: there were over-the-counter medications, syrups, creams, Epi-pens, inhalers, vials of insulin and more, and some of them had been around for a while.“We’ve gotten lots of antibiotics, vitamins, a big variety, and some things from the early 2000s and the late 1990s. I heard of some prescription medication here that expired in 1989,” said Georgia Dalton, second-year MUN pharmacy student and one of the organizers of the event. MUN Pharmacy student Georgia Dalton was one of the organizers of the 2025 pill drop event, which saw St. John’s area residents bring tens of thousands of pills, vitamins and other prescription and non-prescription drugs to RNC headquarters for safe disposal. – Tara Bradbury/The TelegramAt the table to her right, her classmates Jonathon Redmond and Noah Williams were busy counting out pills into trays and documenting them. Across the room, Keyin’s pharmacy tech program coordinator Taggarty Norris and her team were carefully punching holes in blister packs of pills before counting the tablets into a bucket.Article contentThe event was arranged as part of Pharmacy Appreciation Month, a national campaign led by the Canadian Pharmacists Association each March to recognize the role of pharmacy professionals in the healthcare system.It was also an opportunity for local residents – and even a medical clinic or two – to dispose of their expired and unused medications in a responsible way.Flushing or tossing pills: not a good idea“Keeping expired medication, first of all, can sometimes be dangerous if a child or pet gets a hold of it,” Dalton explained. “If it gets flushed down the toilet or thrown in the garbage it can harm the environment.”Certain medications can degrade over time into harmful compounds, while others lose potency and become less effective.Medications that are tossed in the bin or flushed down the drain don’t always break down completely, and can contaminate water and soil and harm marine life. Taggarty Norris, program coordinator for Keyin College’s Pharmacy Technician program, prepares medications for safe disposal at the 2025 pill drop event at RNC headquarters in St. John’s Friday, March 28. – Tara Bradbury/The TelegramHealth Canada has established guidelines for pharmacies and healthcare facilities when it comes to the safe disposal of some medications, often involving denaturing the drugs before incinerating them. Once the students have documented the type, strength and number of each of the medications dropped off to them Friday, they will ensure it’s all disposed of properly.Anyone who missed the pill drop event can bring their expired and unused medication back to a pharmacy any time for disposal.Article content
RNC, MUN School of Pharmacy partner for safe disposal of expired drugs- some from the 1980s
