PEOPLE are being urged to get rid of unwanted medicines and pills piling up in bathroom cabinets around Huddersfield.
As part of a new campaign, special carrier bags are being given out at GP surgeries and community pharmacies to encourage people to take their old medication to community pharmacists for destruction.
Mrs Kath Barraclough, who is running the project at St Luke's House, Crosland Moor, said: "We are encouraging patients to empty their homes of unused medicines and return them to their community pharmacy."
The pills are then collected by a specialist service and incinerated.
Products bought over the counter can be taken back to pharmacies for destruction if they are no longer needed.
The campaign has been launched in time for national Ask About Medicines Week.
The week, which starts on Sunday, encourages patients to learn more about their medication and why they are taking it.
The campaign also urges people to ask themselves whether they need to keep on collecting medication from the chemist when they have stopped taking it - just because it is still on their repeat prescription.
Mrs Barraclough, who works for the GP and nurse-led Huddersfield Central Primary Care Trust, said: "We want to get the message across about repeat prescriptions: collect only what you need.
"It's estimated that across England, more than £100m worth of medicines are wasted every year.
"Medication is very effective and makes a huge difference to the health of the population, but we want people to use it appropriately and waste as little as possible."
She added: "Somebody might be on a number of medications.
"They may have been on one for a fairly long period and it could be that they have forgotten why they are on it. But they continue to order it on their repeat prescription even if they do not need to take it.
"Sometimes it's easy to think that you need to carry on taking medication even though the reason you were taking it may have gone away."
Mrs Barraclough urged people to ask their GP or their pharmacist if they are unsure about their medication.
"Of course we don't want people to stop taking their medication if they need it," she added.
