A recent study by Helsinki Region Environmental Services HSY shows that many people still dispose of their medicines incorrectly. Particularly young people dispose of expired or unused medicines by simply binning them or flushing them down the drain. Older people, on the other hand, most often return such medicines to a pharmacy, which is the correct way. Expired and unused medicines should always be returned to a pharmacy, as they burden the environment and may end up in the wrong hands if thrown in the bin or flushed down the drain.