Old or unused medications can also become dangerous if they are accidentally taken by children,
visitors, or pets.Instead of storing them indefinitely, ask a pharmacist or healthcare professional about the appropriate way to dispose of unused medication in your area.
The same caution applies to medical supplies that may be contaminated, expired, or designed for a specific medical purpose.
Keeping the memory of someone is one thing. Keeping their unused medication is another.
2. Personal Documents, Identification, and Financial Papers
This category can be particularly important because documents belonging to a deceased person may contain highly sensitive information.
Passports, identity documents, bank statements, insurance
paperwork, tax records, credit cards, checkbooks, property documents, and other financial papers should not simply be placed in a box and forgotten.
These documents can contain information that may be needed to settle an estate, close accounts, transfer property, or resolve outstanding obligations.
They can also contain personal information that should be protected from identity theft or unauthorized use.
Before throwing anything away, important documents should be separated and reviewed.
Some may need to be given to an executor, attorney, financial institution, government office, or another person responsible for handling
the estate.
Once documents are no longer legally or practically necessary, they should be disposed of securely rather than simply placed in the trash.
