Pharmacies urge people to return unwanted medicine

The medicine amnesty launched by Community Pharmacy Cornwall closes on Monday

Pharmacies in Cornwall are asking people to hand in unwanted medicines to help keep families and the environment safe.

The medicine amnesty launched by Community Pharmacy Cornwall (CPC) has been running through March and will close on Monday.

People are invited to drop unused, unneeded and expired medications in to their local pharmacies so they can be safely disposed of.

The campaign is supported by NHS Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly and Cornwall Council's public health department.

Keeping people safe

CPC chief operating officer Drew Creekief said: "Having unused medication at home poses a risk to others and increases the chance of taking the wrong or expired medicines."

He said keeping old prescriptions increased the risk of taking the wrong medicine and put vulnerable family members and pets at risk.

Binning medicines or flushing them down the toilet pollutes water systems and harmed wildlife, he added.

Dr Eunan O'Neill, interim director of public health for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, said: "It's really important to dispose of them properly so why not take advantage of the amnesty this month and drop your old and unused medication into your local pharmacy?"