Topeka ? Kansas residents will be able to return their expired or unused medication to pharmacies for disposal under a policy change announced Thursday that health officials hope will prevent the drugs from being accidentally ingested or flushed down the toilet.

Dr. Robert Moser, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said that changes in agency policy interpretation will allow for establishing medication collection centers in such places as pharmacies and law enforcement stations. Or, they can have the pills picked up as hazardous waste, similar to the way some people dispose of paint cans.

“Storing unwanted or expired medications in the home poses a significant health risk to Kansas families. Children can be injured or even die from accidental ingestion,” Moser said.

The program is in conjunction with the Board of Pharmacy, as well as KDHE’s Bureau of Hazardous Waste.

Debra Billingsley, executive secretary of the Board of Pharmacy, said pharmacists have for years disposed of unused and expired medication from their own store supplies, nursing homes and hospitals, but lacked the authority to accept them back from customers once they left the pharmacy.

“They understand that medications are powerful and that should be discarded with care,” she said. “The Kansas pharmacists they do want to provide this service to the customers. They view this as a public service to the community.”

Moser said allowing pharmacies, law enforcement and household hazardous waste centers to collect and safely dispose of the medication will reduce the number of accidental poisonings of children. The non-narcotic medication will be taken by pharmacists and placed in secure containers behind the counter and kept for proper disposal.

The program also will prevent contamination of water supplies that can occur when the medications are flushed or poured into municipal sewer systems.