Each year hundreds of people are admitted to hospitals as a result of inappropriate ingestion of medications. Non‐compliance with prescription directions is a particular problem among the elderly. Young children are also at risk for accidental poisoning, especially when unused and out‐of‐date medications are not stored safely in the home. Many campaigns encouraging the public to dispose of old medications have been run by service clubs, government agencies and pharmacies. However, few Australian groups have documented their projects in any detail and most show little appreciation of the legal and ethical implications of such programs. This paper draws attention to some of the relevant issues involved and offers guidelines for conducting medication collections in the community.