Keep it clean: The ‘Return Your Medicines’ programme allows patients to return their unused or expired medicines to public health facilities, but many people are still unaware of the programme or of the proper way to dispose of medicine waste. Photo for illustrative purposes. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star
PETALING JAYA: When it is time to discard old or unused medicines, most people do not think twice about tossing them into household bins.
“I know it can be harmful to the environment, but it always slips my mind when I need to throw out expired medicine and it goes straight to the bin,” said 38-year-old Hana, a local resident.
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Hana said it was usually not of high priority for her to discard of her medicines properly since there would be very little left, “so each disposal feels insignificant”.
She said she was surprised to learn that expired and unused medicines could be returned to hospitals to be discarded properly.
In 2010, the government introduced a “Return Your Medicines” programme that allows patients to return their unused or expired medicines to public health facilities, but many people are still unaware of the programme or of the proper way to dispose of medicine waste.
Hana suggested that the labels on medicine given out to patients include information on its proper disposal, or a reminder that it could be returned to a medical facility.
However, human resource manager Masrah Marsinda said it would be a hassle to visit the hospital just to discard old medicine.
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“I usually just discard them in the bin. I don’t think I would make the effort to drive all the way to a hospital just to return the medicine.
“It will be convenient if I can send them to any nearby clinic,” said the 36-year-old from Rawang.
She added that the government needs to ramp up on awareness programmes so that more people are aware of what to do with their old medicine.
Account manager Lee Xiao Jin, 31, also said she was unaware of the proper way to dispose of medicine.
“I only throw it in the bin and if I need to return it to the hospital, it will be very inconvenient for me,” said Lee, who is also from Petaling Jaya.
She said that if there are incentives to return old medicine, it would encourage more people to adhere to proper disposal habits.
“Maybe the government or clinics can give small rewards like Touch ‘n Go credit. It does not need to be much,” she said.
She added that if more people are aware of the need to discard medicine properly, they could be done more collectively with others.
“Sometimes, there are people who come to my house to collect paper boxes to recycle so they can get some money.
“If there is an incentive for throwing out medicines, I can give them the medicines too,” said Lee.
Learning and development manager Heshwinder Oon Chee Eng said when needing to restock on new medicines, he would throw out the old ones in the bin.
“Is there a way to dispose of old medicine? Like used cooking oil?” asked the 32-year-old from Kuala Lumpur.
When told that medicines can be returned to hospitals, he said it was the first time he had heard of this.
He suggested that doctors, nurses and medical professionals be trained to educate their patients during consultation about proper medicine disposal.
“The reminder to send back unused or old medicines to the hospital should be made into a standard (line), like what they have in the hospitality industry,” he said.
