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Table 4 Disposal practice of unused and expired pharmaceuticals among households in Harar City, Eastern Ethiopia from February 27–April 27, 2018 (n = 694)
| Questions | n (%) |
|---|---|
| Did any quantity of purchased medicine remain unused at your home? | |
| Yes | 459 (66.2) |
| No | 235 (33.8) |
| What do you do with the unused medicines? | |
| Throw away in household garbage | 369 (53.2) |
| Flush unused medications in toilet/sink | 166 (23.9) |
| Keep at home until expired | 111 (16.0) |
| Burn | 15 (2.2) |
| Donate to hospital | 13 (1.9) |
| Give to friends or relatives | 13 (1.9) |
| Return back to pharmacy | 7 (1.0) |
| What do you do with the expired medicines? | |
| Throw away in household garbage | 369 (53.2) |
| Flush expired medications in toilet/sink | 258 (37.2) |
| Return back to pharmacy | 15 (2.2) |
| Give to friends or relatives | 3 (0.4) |
| I don’t know what to do | 27 (3.9) |
| Othera | 22 (3.2) |
| Do you separate unused medicines before disposal? | |
| Yes | 446 (64.3) |
| No | 248 (35.7) |
| Way of discarding expired medicines | |
| Crashed before discarding | 85 (12.2) |
| Diluted with water | 41 (5.9) |
| As it is | 461 (66.4) |
| I don’t know what to do | 107 (15.4) |
