Personalized medication disposal system

Project Overview

Leftover and expired prescriptions and over-the-counter medicines can be found in every household in Dane county. Last year unintentional poisonings killed more Dane County residents than automobile crashes. Misuse or abuse of prescription, over-the-counter or illicit drugs are the major cause. Pain medication when misused, can be especially fatal.

One option currently available is to dispose of the medications using Med Drop boxes in Dane County. This is inconvenient as they currently are only located in Police Departments. Many patients end up flushing the medications down their toilets which negatively impacts the water table. Others may just put the medications in the trash which can contaminate waste management plants. Still others stockpile their unused medication in their medication cabinets, leaving open the possibility of taking the wrong med, overdosing or having the medication stolen.

We are working to design a personalized medication neutralizing container that can physically or chemically inactivate the medication rendering it inert and non harmful to the environment.