Destruction of Schedule 8 medicines at community pharmacies

Under the Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Regulation 2008, a pharmacist who practises at a community pharmacy can destroy Schedule 8 medicine on-site in the presence of an independent witness.

Independent witness means a medical practitioner, nurse practitioner, or pharmacist who:

• is not employed or otherwise engaged to provide professional services at the pharmacy, and
• is not a family member of the pharmacist, and
• if a pharmacist does not have a financial interest in the pharmacy.

Family member includes:

• spouse or de facto partner
• parent or step-parent, or a sibling of the person's parent or step-parent
• grandparent or step-grandparent
• sibling or step-sibling, or a child of the person's sibling or step-sibling
• child or stepchild
• grandchild or step-grandchild.

Recording requirements

A pharmacist who destroys a Schedule 8 medicine must record in the pharmacy's drug register:

• the date of destruction
• the name and quantity of the medicine destroyed
• the pharmacist's name, registration number and signature
• the independent witness's name, registration number and signature.

How to destroy Schedule 8 medicines

General rules

• Any identified Schedule 8 medicine returned by a patient must be entered into the drug register immediately on receipt, listing the patient's name, address, medicine, and quantity.
• Any expired Schedule 8 medicine from pharmacy stock should be quarantined from usable stock and transferred to a separate page of the register labelled "for destruction".
• Do not discard medicines into a sink or toilet.
• Schedule 8 medicines from a private health facility or residential care facility must be destroyed on those premises, not returned to the pharmacy.

Materials needed

• Absorbent material such as clay, kitty litter, or paper towels.
• Liquid soap or detergent to render medicines "unusable".
• Sharps bin and/or RUM bin
• Mortar and pestle.

Destruction methods

All Schedule 8 medicines for destruction should be removed from packaging (except ampoules) and rendered unusable.

Ampoules

Wrap the cardboard box containing the ampoules in a paper towel to absorb the liquid, stomp on the box to crush the ampoules, and place it in a sharps container.

Liquids

Pour into absorbent material such as kitty litter and add detergent.

Oral solids - tablets, capsules, films, lozenges

• Start with extended-release products as they take longer to dissolve.
• Place in a heat-resistant container, such as a mortar, and add boiling water and detergent.
• Allow to dissolve over time, crush any remaining solids with the pestle, and pour into absorbent material such as kitty litter.

Transdermal patches

Remove the patch from the packaging, apply the patch to paper, cut with scissors into small pieces, and add to kitty litter with detergent.

Cannabis plant material

Grind in a mortar, add detergent, and pour into absorbent material such as kitty litter.

Vape cartridges

• Contact the manufacturer or sponsor of the product for guidance on appropriate destruction.
• If the Schedule 8 medicine is accessible and in a liquid form, it can be easily poured into an absorbent material such as kitty litter.
• If the product is in a sealed pod or system that can’t be easily opened, destruction must occur off-site under the supervision of a police officer or inspector. Arrange destruction through a Clinical Waste Services company specialising in the destruction of clinical and medical waste and licensed under the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA). Please note there is a cost to the pharmacist for this service.

Final step

Place all destroyed materials, other than sharps and batteries, into a RUM bin and seal it closed.