[Use and disposal of drugs at home. Experiences of a community campaign for drug collection].

We carried out a campaign to encourage return of medicines stored in private homes. 248 out of 1,512 households in our district returned average ten containers of drugs. 90% of these had been opened before return. Three out of four containers were outdated. A questionnaire was sent to all 1,512 households. 33% responded. All but six households kept medicines at home. An average of nine products were stored in each home. Half of the products were non-prescription drugs. Half of the households had medicine cabinets. The kitchen was the room most often used to store medicines. We discuss various efforts to achieve more simple return of unwanted drugs. We must emphasize the need to store medicines at home in a safe place.