Do you have medication at home that you want to dispose of? With the exception of special cancer drugs (cytostatics), old medication is not considered hazardous waste. Dispose of it in the household waste - i.e. in the black residual waste bin.
In Hamburg, all household waste is burned in special facilities. This completely destroys all active pharmaceutical ingredients. This method is not only permitted, but also environmentally friendly and safe.
More Information
Publisher
Hamburg
Last update or date of publication
Contact
The government service telephone number 115 – your point of contact for questions related to the federal, state and local.
Monday through Friday from 8:00 to 18:00 (and beyond these times in some regions).
Call 115 nowGovernment service telephone number calls are charged at local rates.
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Preconditions
You want to dispose of medications that you no longer need.
Hints
Some pharmacies take back medications as a service, but are not obliged to do so.
If you encounter other problematic things, such as
- thermometer with mercury,
- benzine or
- insect powder
Take them to the city's recycling center or use the mobile hazardous waste collection service in your area. This way you can ensure that these materials are disposed of safely.
There are no additional costs for the disposal of your old medication.
Basis for legal action
Circular Economy Act (KrWG)
https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/krwg/
Legal Remedies
No legal remedy is provided.
Related Links
Procedure
- Dispose of any medicines you no longer need in your black waste bin.
- Do not pour any medications down the toilet or sink!
- The sewage treatment plants are unable to break down active substances such as hormones or antibiotics, or only to a limited extent.
- Dispose of the cardboard box and the package leaflet in the blue paper bin.
- Make sure that children do not find the medicines in the trash and, for example, confuse them with sweets.
- Take hazardous or unknown waste to the recycling center or to the mobile hazardous waste collection point.
Deadlines
If possible, dispose of your old medication in the residual waste bin the day before collection. If you provide the residual waste bin for collection yourself, please leave it at the curb by 6 a.m.
Processing time
For the collection of your residual waste bin, please note the Hamburg City Cleaning Service's collection calendar and the opening times of the recycling centers.
The collection of residual waste is occasionally subject to postponement, for example due to public holidays.
You can find the emptying frequency on the Hamburg City Cleaning Service website.