The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) no longer recommends disposing of unwanted medications by flushing them into the sewer system due to the negative effects on water quality and aquatic life. Instead, residents are encouraged to place unwanted pharmaceuticals in the trash, after disguising the outer container and/or mixing the medications with other refuse to make them irretrievable. This way, one is both preventing accidental or intentional misuse of these medications by children and teenagers in the home, and preventing negative impacts to the environment.

This topic is discussed in more detail in some very informative articles on the DEC's website at Safe Medication Disposal for Households

Information for New Jersey and Connecticut residents can be found at http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?Q=335480&A=2708 and http://www.state.nj.us/dep/dshw/rrtp/disposal.pdf.