Medicine is wasted in a variety of ways and there are many reasons why these pharmaceuticals go unused. The Food and Drug Administration works to reduce this costly waste and provides guidelines that help facilitate the industry. Even if each tier of the system were to do everything right, there would still be some wasted medication left over and in need of proper disposal.

Addiction and the abuse of pain medication leads to tens of thousands of deaths a year. Many of the deaths associated with drug overdoses involve opioids. The disposal of prescription drugs varies state to state. The responsibility that healthcare facilities take to avoid misuse and contamination from opioids is a vital part of saving lives.