Article: Susan Newham And Elsibe Loubser Mcguffog from Real Simple
Image: Toby Newsome

If you find herbal and complementary medicine hard pills to swallow, then you can still do the earth some good by considering the following:

Disposing of drugs safely

For years, we've flushed expired medication down the toilet, thinking it safer to do this than throwing it in the bin where it could run the risk of being found by children or pets.

Unfortunately most sewage treatment plants aren't designed to filter these drugs out and so the active ingredients found in medicines make their way into our rivers, dams and drinking water.

Expired medication should be returned to suppliers instead.

Pharmacies, including the big chains, take back expired medicine, which are in turn collected by medical-waste companies who dispose of them in a responsible manner, usually by burning.

Your local hospital or clinic is linked to the same disposal system. An incinerator burns at an extremely high temperature to be able to eliminate the toxic fumes, so don't consider doing it at home.

Check the packaging

The modern world is an over-packaged place, but before we campaign against blister packs, it's good to note that medicine is packaged the way it is to avoid contamination and to prolong shelf life.

However, where possible, consider eco-friendly options, including reusable packaging like glass bottles, and recyclable packaging such as glass, card and paper.

Biodegradable plastics are more environmentally friendly than the more traditional PVC plastics. Certain international homeopathic companies have a recycleable logo on their containers, so look out for these.

Waste not, want not

'As with all recycling efforts, purchasing and stocking fewer pills prevents having to dispose of them later' says Lorraine Osman, spokesperson for the Pharmaceutical Society of South Africa.

Try not to stock up on medicine that you won't use. Also try to sort out the cause of your niggle before resorting to a quick medicine fix.

As overly simplistic as it seems, your headache is possibly a result of dehydration or just plain tiredness.

Purchase wisely: certain pharmacies will sell you drugs in smaller quantities. Buy fewer pills and rather go back for more.

The basic principle? Don't stock up on more than you need.

Excerpted from the July 2008 issue of REAL SIMPLE.