Exploring Public Behaviour and Attitudes Toward Medicine Disposal: A Community-Based Study

Objectives: To assess public knowledge, attitudes, and disposal practices for unused/expired medicines and to identify preferred channels for improving community awareness. Methods: A community-based, cross-sectional survey was conducted using a pre-tested, structured questionnaire (18 items). The minimum sample size was estimated using a single-proportion approach with relative precision (α=0.05; p=0.774; ε=0.05), yielding n=449; ultimately, 472 respondents completed the survey. Descriptive statistics were reported as frequencies and percentages. Results: Most respondents believed expired medicines become toxic (64.6%) and routinely checked expiry dates before purchase or use (94.3%). Despite this awareness, only 2.3% reported following a recommended disposal method, whereas 94.5% did not. Disposal in household trash was the most common practice (60.6%), whereas 2.1% reported flushing medicines in a toilet or sink. Although 95.8% reported storing expired medicines separately, 68.9% did not remove personal information from packaging before disposal. Responsibility for safe disposal was perceived as shared between government and healthcare personnel (83.5%). Awareness of formal take-back programs was limited (37.7%), yet willingness to participate was high (77.0%). Internet-based platforms were the most preferred route for education (79.9%), followed by electronic media (58.1%) and pharmacists (48.1%). Conclusion: The community demonstrates good awareness of expiry-related risks but exhibits major gaps in safe disposal behaviors and program awareness. The high willingness to join take-back initiatives indicates the feasibility of community–pharmacy–government partnerships. Targeted risk communication, clear disposal guidance at dispensing points, and accessible take-back options are urgently needed to mitigate this public health and environmental issue.