Call it a growing pain, a small hitch in an otherwise good idea.

A program for the disposal of unwanted or unused prescription drugs has proved popular with Butler County residents. Residents are turning in unused prescription and over-the-counter medications at a rate of more than 100 pounds a month, says District Attorney Rich Goldinger, who launched the dropoff-box program in April.

That’s impressive. Drugs disposed of properly don’t wind up in sensitive locations, like the water supply or our children’s bodies. Instead, all the items collected are incinerated at an undisclosed location.

The seven drop-boxes are located at the county prison and in police departments around the county. Goldinger says the locations assure safety and security for the program and the individuals who use it.

Anyone using the boxes is assured anonymity. The boxes are in police stations in Butler, the townships of Butler, Cranberry and Penn, and Saxonburg and Slippery Rock boroughs. Anyone wanting to drop off medications can do so during business hours.

Goldinger is justifiably pleased with the program’s early success. But there is that little glitch. People are tossing hypodermic needles into the boxes, which can be a danger to those emptying the receptacles. The needles present a dangerous situation for the detectives who gather the drugs for incineration.

One accidental skin prick from a used needle can expose to a variety of contagious diseases like HIV and hepatitis, along with tetanus and other common infections.

For now, people using the disposal program have been asked not to throw away hypodermic needles. There are safe methods for needle disposal including approved containers available at most drug stores. An empty container for liquid laundry detergent works as well for needle disposal.

The federal Food and Drug Administration advises that syringes never should be thrown in the trash or flushed down the toilet because needles in the waste stream put trash haulers and sewer workers at risk.

Goldinger says the drug drop-off program will continue until at least the end of the year, when officials intend to evaluate the program and consider any changes that need to be made.

We would recommend a way to include needles — along with lancets, auto-injector pens and other medical “sharps” — in the program, since they present a threat to public health as well as safe disposal challenge. Public safety was the original objective of the disposal program; proper disposal of hypodermic needles is consistent with that objective.