Daily Column

DEAR DR. GOTT:
HELP! I literally have plastic grocery bags full of empty prescription bottles with the labels still on them.

The labels have my name, the medication, dosage and much more on them. They are impossible to remove from the bottles and I am afraid to throw them in the garbage with the rest of my trash because of the information on them. Can another person do anything with this information?

DEAR READER:
In theory, yes. Certain drugs are prescribed for certain diseases. To prevent personal private information from going public, I suggest that you cover the labels with a magic marker before discarding them. Another option would be to soak the bottles in water (warm/hot works fastest). This will allow the paper to separate from the adhesive for easy removal. It is more time consuming but completely removes the label rather than simply covering it up. These simple solutions should relieve many of your concerns as well as getting rid of your unwanted containers.