A new statewide prescription drug disposal program will help protect Iowans and the environment from the effects of improper disposal of prescription drugs.

The Iowa Pharmacy Association announced that Iowa will be the first state to launch TakeAway, which will allow consumers to safely dispose of unwanted or expired medications at drop-off boxes in community pharmacies.

More than 300 pharmacy locations, or about half the pharmacies in the state, have signed up for the program.

Legislation passed during the 2009 session called for the creation of an Iowa community pharmacy-based pharmaceutical collection and disposal pilot program. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources then awarded a grant of $165,000 to the Iowa Board of Pharmacy, which teamed up with the Iowa Pharmacy Association to offer the TakeAway program.

The initiative aims to curb unsafe medication disposal practices that can compromise the integrity of water supplies, according to the Iowa Pharmacy Association. It also hopes to decrease the extra stockpile of unused and expired drugs in homes, which can increase the likelihood that teenagers, pets and the elderly will accidentally misuse or abuse the drugs.

Participating pharmacies will store the dropped-off drugs in a waste bin that is specifically designed to safely store pharmaceutical products. Once the bin is full, it is shipped to a medication disposal facility where the entire system is incinerated.

Some pharmacies will also sell TakeAway pre-addressed, postage-paid large envelopes that will allow consumers to mail in their unwanted drugs.

For a list of acceptable and unacceptable drugs, and for a list of participating pharmacies, go to www.iarx.org/takeaway.