How to Recycle Medicine and Blister Packs

You may have a medicine draw, first aid kit or simply keep some in your car or bag. Wherever you keep them it is important to check their expiration date. The same applies for first aid supplies such as bandages and plasters. Medicines which have expired may not be safe or as effective. Likewise, medicines often arrive in a bottle or more often than not a foil sealed blister packet. These are currently unable to be recycled using our bins. Luckily, there are companies offering us the chance to recycle them in their stores.

The NHS states:

You should not take medicines after their expiry date. If you've had a medicine for a while, check the expiry date before using it.

Where Do I Find The Expiration Date?

Depending on the product, the expiration date might be on the packaging or label. It might be listed as one of the following:

• expiry
• expiry date
• expires
• exp
• exp date
• use by
• use before

So What Do You Do With Expired Medicines?

You may wish to make a list of which medicines and medical supplies have expired or close to, this allows you to restock the items. Both the NHS and FDA explain that out of date medicine should be taken back to the pharmacist, who can dispose of them safely for you. However, the FDA says some medicines can be flushed if the packet contains key ingredients, though the FDA does recommend returning medicines to a pharmacy. If you are unsure if the medicine can be safely flushed, I would avoid flushing. However, flushing antibiotics or putting them in household waste can lead to antibiotic resistance, which is why it is important to correctly dispose of them at a pharmacy.

How do I recycle blister packaging?

Superdrug started the first initiative in the UK, is in collaboration with Benadryl, and 10 further drug companies. In an official post, the retailer stated that you can drop off blister packaging in their dedicated collection boxes. Boots also offers blister packet recycling and will award you loyalty points if you meet their thresholds. It is worth noting that not all shops currently support the recycling system; therefore it might be best to check ahead of time, before carrying empty packets into the store.

SuperDrug

SuperDrug explains you should:

• only return waste to Superdrug pharmacy stores
• Only return personal and household waste
• Only return empty blister packs

SuperDrug kindly explains you should not:

• return waste to non-pharmacy stores
• Make bulk drop-offs
• Return blisters containing medication
• Return medicine packaging, including bottles and aerosols
• Return cardboard packaging

Boots

The Boots website says that before recycling blister packets, you need to register for or opt in via your Recycle at Boots Scan2recycle account. Once you have done that, log your empties in your scan2recycle app to be validated. After collecting fifteen approved items in your account, visit your local store and scan the bin to deposit. Boots says once you have deposited 15 blister packs in one go, you will receive a reward of 150 Advantage Card points when you spend £10.

Boots explains that collected blister packets are not incinerated or sent to landfills. Their partner MYGroup separates the foil and plastic using specialised machinery. The foil aspect is recycled conventionally, whereas the plastic is made into MYBoard. This material is used to create tables, chairs, garden planters, shop fittings and more.

However, Boots initiative is a slow rolling trial, focused on the South of England, meaning towns and cities in the midlands and North may not be able to utilise this service currently.