Old Vitamins starting to decompose
The first of the year some how invokes that “must “declutter feeling.” Is it being indoor? A new year? Who know. All I do know is my pantry is the bane of my existence. Especially the shelves that contain the vitamins.
I swear they grow expontentially. And no, Suzanne Sommers doesn’t live with me. However, if there were a male Suzanne Sommers, it would be my hubby. He is a vitamin addict. We have vitamins that I have no idea what they are for. Three or four containers of the same vitamin. Why? He can’t see what he has and doesn’t have. Do you have a vitamin addict in your house?
DeCluttering the Pantry
I have challenged you several time on Green Talk to declutter your pantry. I don’t know about you, but when the pantry is crowded I often buy more than I should. Why? How the heck can see you behind 10 cans of tomato sauce? Or all the empty boxes that the cavemen fail to throw out. Are you with me here?
Hubby is the buyer in the household and love a good sale. Hence, in my opinion, the clutter. Let’s be frank. Hubby needs a full time clutter assistant or an intervention, which ever comes first. Who is this “person” in your home?
More Vitamins in a Square Mile Then People in NJ
Well, this year I had it with the overpopulation of vitamins. There was one designated shelf for vitamins that has grown in five years to three shelves. I kid you not. And between you and me, how many do you think have expired?
So, I methodically alphabetized all the vitamins. Before, you say, Anna, come on, get a life, there is a method to my madness. I figured if he saw with his vitamin A enriched eyes how many multiple bottles of the same vitamins he had, he would be more careful in the future. Fat chance, but a green girl is gotta do what’s she has to do. (Okay, how many bottles of vitamin C do you need? With all those vitamins who gets colds anyways?)
Oh, did I tell you. He even had half bottles of the same vitamins. You don’t want to know how many hours this little exercise took me.
Don’t get me wrong. Hubby is a lovable guy but this vitamin thing has me pretty wacked.
Finally, hubby knew that he had to clean up the vitamins starring him the face. As he sorted, he made different piles:
- expired vitamins (surprise, surprise)
- not my vitamins (ie belongs to the kids, the dog we don’t have, and maybe a distant cousin’s) and
- finally, the ones that he wanted to keep.
So What Do I Do With the Old Vitamins?
So, as you can imagine, I had alot of vitamins to dispose of. Throwing them down the toliet wasn’t an option. According to the EPA,
“[s]ome medicines, vitamins and other supplements poured down the drain or flushed down the toilet may pass through wastewater treatment plants. They may enter lakes, rivers and streams which are often used as sources for community drinking water supplies. Watertreatment plants are generally not equipped to routinely remove medicines and supplements.”
As I search online for alternatives, I ran across the following options:
- Dissolve them and then put them in plastic bag with coffee grounds or kitty litter. Then, throw them away. If you know anything about me, I never throw away anything. (Ask my sister.)
- Give them to the police when there is a US take back program. I did sort out the old medicine and hid them in the house to give to the semi-annual take back program.
- Find a participating green pharmacy who will take back medicine. See here for other US state programs. Note, it is not a definitive list since your state might not be on it.
- For information in other countries, see EcoLife’s recycling list. Scan down to “Disposing of pharmaceuticals” towards the bottom. Also, see the information on the Northwest Product Stewardship Council.
For the life of me, I couldn’t find anyone to donate the vitamins to. The take back program in my area had occurred. Another one wouldn’t be schedule until April. So, the light bulb came on and I thought why not compost them. They are just minerals, right?
The Experiment
I didn’t want to just throw them in the composter since I couldn’t figure out how they would decompose. However, if I did, some rodent probably would be quite healthy. Those darn animals get into the compost in the winter despite my rodent screen. Plus, some of the vitamins are gel coated. How the heck were they going to decompose?
So, I decided to put them in boiling water. My friend’s college age child who is majoring in chemical engineering suggested that I use vingear to simulate the stomach acid. Clever, huh? However, I tried boiling water first.
Bowl #2 of Old Vitamins that Decomposed in Water
Lo and behold a couple of hours later, I had vitamin soup. Thank goodness it didn’t smell bad since there were old cinamon capsules in the mix. But, it didn’t look particular appetizing.
Guess who had the task of taking it down to the composter? Hubby.
So, next spring I expect to have the healthiest compost in the neighborhood!
Join the Conversation
- How do you dispose of your old vitamins?
- Do you have a place to give them to?
- Do have a rule of thumb to know when vitamins expire?
- Do you compost them too?
- Can you add to the list of international or state takeback programs?
Liesl Clark says
Hi Anna:
I’ve come upon your blog on so many occasions during my research for a huge database that we’re creating as a free resource for people to use on their smart phones and the Web for responsibly disposing of their unwanted stuff. Your format is easy to follow, your voice is humorous and friendly, but most importantly, you are providing much-needed information, insights, and guidance for living closer to the rhythms of the Earth, protecting its precious resources. Whether you’re giving creative ideas on how to dispose of your expired vitamins or green gardening tips, your posts are clear and to the point. We’d love to link to your content and point people to your information wherever it makes sense within our database, if that’s okay with you. And if you’d like to learn more about us, we’ve just launched a Kickstarter campaign at http://www.kickstarter.com/pro.....o-treasure. I’d love to tell you more about our app when you have the time. Thanks for all that you’re doing, you truly are a great resource, and we look forward to following your every word in the future.
Liesl Clark
Cora: A Mobile App Providing Smart Solutions for our Excessive Waste
http://www.teamcora.com
Evonne maas says
Anna~~
I have been wondering for several years already what to do with outdated vitamin supplements, so I was thrilled to come across your web site describing how you put them in boiling water so you could add them to your compost.
I couldn’t help wondering, however, whether or not the boiling water would destroy the nutritive value of the supplements.
Do you think you could ask your friend’s chemical engineering student (maybe graduated by now) about that? I would greatly appreciate knowing BEFORE I boil mine in case there’s a less damaging method of composting them……maybe “vita-mixing” them and then liquefying them in tepid water?
Looking forward to hearing from you ASAP as I am really anxious and EXCITED to do this SOON. Thanks much!
~~Evonne
Anna@Green Talk says
Evonne, you can simply soak them. The hot water speeds up the soaking. I am sure you could blend them in a high speed blender too. I didn’t have one at the time. Anna
Angela says
Here are a few paragraphs from the FDA recommendations for medication disposal. The full article is at http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/Resou.....186188.htm
If a take-back or mail back program is not available to you, most other unused or expired medicines can be disposed of in your household trash. First, mix the medicines (do not crush tablets or capsules) with an unpalatable substance such as dirt, kitty litter, or used coffee grounds. Then place the mixture in a container such as a zip-top or sealable plastic bag, and throw the container away in your household trash. Before throwing out your empty pill bottle or other empty medicine packaging remember to scratch out all personal information on the prescription label to make it unreadable.
There are, however, a few prescription medicines that contain controlled substances and are especially harmful if taken accidentally by someone other than the patient. These medicines should not be thrown in the trash, because this method may still provide an opportunity for a child or pet to accidentally take the medicine. If a DEA-authorized collector or drug take-back program is not available, FDA recommends that these medicines be disposed of by flushing when they are no longer needed. The list of medicines recommended for disposal by flushing can be seen at this link (check full article to access this link).
Anna@Green Talk says
Thanks Angela!
Shannan says
Flushing can have negative effects on aquatic animals
Debra Housel says
Anna,
Did adding the vitamins and minerals to your compost improve it or harm it? I have two large bottles of Vit C that hubby bought and never used. They have expired, and I want them out of my house!
Anna says
Debra, honestly, I have no idea. I think they just decomposed. I didn’t see any chances. You have to make sure they really decompose. You can also see if there is a drug take back program in your area. Some pharmacies take them back too. My police station takes back all type of drugs including vitamins. https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/
Foy says
I just added my expired prenatal vitamins to the compost. I didn’t bother to boil them so we will see what happens come spring.
Anna says
Foy, let me know what happens. Anna