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) |