It turns out that the practice of pharmaceutical disposal that you use at your workplace is now recommended as an eco-friendly means of disposal for the public.

Instead of flushing meds down the toilet (now recognized as a big no-no), you should prepare the medications for landfill disposal. Remove the medications from their containers and crush or dissolve them with water; mix them with a substance such as coffee grounds, kitty litter, or sawdust; put them in a sealable plastic bag or container; and throw them in the trash.

Here is a detailed blog post about the subject, which includes a video and links to related articles:

http://www.blogher.com/disposing-prescription-medications-eco-friendly-and-safe-way

Here are the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy guidelines, which say the same as above:

http://www.ncjrs.gov/ondcppubs/publications/pdf/prescrip_disposal.pdf