There is a jar of old antibiotics from 2019 in your medicine cabinet. A half-used tube of cream. A prescription you never finished. Sound familiar? What you do with those medications matters more than most people realize. Improper disposal of drugs is one of the most common and preventable sources of environmental contamination in Canada — and it puts children, pets, and communities at risk.
Never Do This with Old Medications
- Do not flush medications down the toilet — they enter the water supply and are not filtered out by municipal treatment systems
- Do not put them in the garbage — medications in landfill leach into soil and groundwater, and can be found and consumed by children, wildlife, or individuals misusing substances
The Right Way: Return Them to a Pharmacy
Under Ontario’s unused medication return program, any pharmacy can accept your expired, unused, or unwanted medications for safe disposal — for free, no questions asked. Wishing Well Pharmacy in Stouffville maintains a medication drop box for this purpose. Simply bring in your old medications in their original containers if possible, and our team will handle the rest.
What Can Be Returned?
- Prescription medications (including controlled substances such as opioids)
- Over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, and supplements
- Inhalers and medicated patches and creams
- Liquid medications
Why This Matters
Thousands of children and pets in Canada are accidentally exposed to medications every year. Removing old drugs from your home is one of the simplest and highest-impact safety actions you can take. Drop off unused medications at Wishing Well Pharmacy, 6240 Main St, Stouffville — during regular business hours.