[idealstingray]

> Obviously, people shouldn't do that.

I'm not sure this is obvious or even particularly well-publicized.

The "official recommendation" in the U.S. for many meds is that they be flushed down the toilet, especially scheduled/controlled substances. The FDA maintains a "flush list" [1] of medications that you are specifically instructed to dispose of by flushing. However, even for medications not on the official flush list, it's common to be informed by reasonable authorities that you should dispose of them by flushing -- e.g. I had to sign paperwork at my doctor's office affirming that I'd responsibly dispose of my unused ADHD meds by flushing them down the toilet before my dr would write the prescription. This was seconded by the drug/alcohol training I was given as a condition of attending college, which stated that you should flush all unused medication.

[1]: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/disposal-unused-medicines-what-you...

[yencabulator]

Even more annoyingly, US pharmacies often refuse to accept leftover medicines for proper disposal. They'll hand out packets of stuff that makes opioids unusable to addicts, that's all.

Back in Europe, you could just hand off your unused meds to the local pharmacy and rest assured they'll be handled more responsibly.