Title: Household disposal practices of unused and expired medicines: a case study of Guwahati City, Assam, India

Authors: Nandini Chakraborty; Mayuri Chabukdhara; Manashjit Gogoi

Addresses: Department of Environmental Biology and Wildlife Sciences, Cotton University, Panbazar, Guwahati, Assam, 781001, India ' Department of Environmental Biology and Wildlife Sciences, Cotton University, Panbazar, Guwahati, Assam, 781001, India ' Department of Biomedical Engineering, North Eastern Hill University, Shillong – 793022, Meghalaya, India

Abstract: The demand for pharmaceuticals to treat as well as prevent diseases will continue to increase. As such, disposal of unused and expired medicines is a growing challenge faced worldwide. This study focuses on evaluation of disposal practices of unused and expired medicines in Guwahati, Assam, one of the fastest growing cities in northeast India. The study also intended to identify the reasons for unused or unwanted medications in households. About 99.5% of the participants disposed of their unused and expired medicines in garbage bins which may pose threat to the environment. Organised take back programs and proper guidelines for careful disposal of unused and expired medicines may help to reduce the risk to the environment as well as human health. Further, behavioural changes such as completion of prescribed medicine courses, reduced self-medication, and wastage may also help in minimising the medicinal waste burden and their potential impact on the environment.

Keywords: unused and expired medicines; disposal practices; garbage bins; environmental risk; take back programs; India.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEWM.2024.142735

International Journal of Environment and Waste Management, 2024 Vol.35 No.4, pp.391 - 403

Received: 03 Aug 2021
Accepted: 06 Jul 2022
Published online: 20 Nov 2024 *

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