• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Recycling all those blister pill packs

Fruitella

Well-Known Member
Messages
304
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Came across this on a UK Facebook group so checked it out and yes we can! Just need to find the nearest pharmacy that is taking part or a Superdrug.

'For the first time, medicine blister packets can now be recycled at participating pharmacy drop-off points nationwide. The‘Little Packs, Big Impact’ recycling initiative, from the leaders in gut health, Buscopan® and Dulcolax®, is a partnership with recycling innovators TerraCycle®, which allows customers to recycle any empty prescription and over-the-counter medicine blister packets, simply and freely, by dropping them in dedicated bins the next time they need to visit their local participating Superdrug or independent pharmacy.'

Sounds good to me!
 
I saw this too today on Facebook, I’ll definitely be saving mine to be recycled. I found a Superdrug store very close to my house that has joined this scheme
 
That's useful to know, thanks for sharing @Fruitella. The Superdrug 10 mins walk from me isn't participating, I would guess it has to be a Superdrug with a pharmacy, which this one is not
 
sleepster said:
That's useful to know, thanks for sharing @Fruitella. The Superdrug 10 mins walk from me isn't participating, I would guess it has to be a Superdrug with a pharmacy, which this one is not
Click to expand...
I see that the small one in a shopping mall 6 miles away is but the massive one on a retail park 20 mins walk away isn't! Both have pharmacies, seems a bit random but a good start.
 
I cant see that happening here in Australia, my pharmacy has no room for collection bins as they take up space which would have a product for sale in / on it.

I have a bin nearly full of test strips, empty pill packets, plus the pill packaging in it which will go in to the recycle bin.

The regional council can sort it out at the dump, as there are a lot people with disabilities working the recycling place under contract.
 
Tannith said:
Does anyone know if Boots do it?
Click to expand...
I know my Boots will take my sharps and test strips in a plastic container (an old conditioner bottle) and dispose of the whole contents for me. Makes me wonder what the gp expects me to do with the used ones, perhaps play jenga lol
 
Fruitella said:
I see that the small one in a shopping mall 6 miles away is but the massive one on a retail park 20 mins walk away isn't! Both have pharmacies, seems a bit random but a good start.
Click to expand...
Ah, how curious. Yes I agree, a good start
 
Lainie71 said:
I know my Boots will take my sharps and test strips in a plastic container (an old conditioner bottle) and dispose of the whole contents for me. Makes me wonder what the gp expects me to do with the used ones, perhaps play jenga lol
Click to expand...
I have a yellow sharps container on my repeat prescription. When full, I can either get the council to collect it, or return it to the chemist for disposal. I know different areas have different rules, but it may be worth asking your gp and council.
 
Hopeful34 said:
I have a yellow sharps container on my repeat prescription. When full, I can either get the council to collect it, or return it to the chemist for disposal. I know different areas have different rules, but it may be worth asking your gp and council.
Click to expand...
Thanks for that will ask them about it
 
sleepster said:
The Superdrug 10 mins walk from me isn't participating, I would guess it has to be a Superdrug with a pharmacy, which this one is not
Click to expand...
I rang my local (small) Superdrug to check and yes, Superdrugs are participating, but only those with a pharmacy. I am very pleased with this Superdrug branch, as I have already had my first Oxfod vzaccination there. Not only was it super-convenient to have this in the centre where I usually shop, but also it was all perfectly organised. No waiting, no prolonged form-filling, no risk of catching Covid by being near other clients.

Hearty thanks to @Fruitella for this info.
 
I got a sharps box on prescription and to tell you the truth the thing is so small I don't think I will bother next time. My large Yorkshire yogurt pot seems to hold more and the chemist is happy to dispose of it for me.
 
If you're happy with that, that's fine. Otherwise you could contact the surgery again and ask for a 7 litre one, that's what I get and it lasts months, even with being on a pump and Libre.
 
@Fruitella I am SO grateful for this tip. I have passed it on to a local online forum, so many more outside the Diabetes UK community will benefit. I now save my empty blister packs in a dedicated box, but they mount up so fast, I shall have to find a larger container. I take 3 different meds twice daily and some are so securely (and bulkily) packaged, they might survive a nuclear explosion.
 
Many thanks, I did not know and I shall pass this on. Type 2 and all those blister packs just throw it out to land fill, now I know better.
 
According to the Superdrug website, we can recycle blister packs at all of their pharmacies. However, our local one in Norwich has now decided they won't take them and any we drop off there will be thrown out with the rubbish. There was no warning, no advance notice and the website is still saying we can take them to any of their pharmacies. We're on the case; it's not good enough if people have carefully collected their packs until they have enough to make the journey to the only Superdrug pharmacy in the area to be told they don't have the storage space. I'm a collector for TerraCycle so I know all about storage space and the work needed to administer TerraCycle programmes but we can't have the company saying one thing and a single branch saying something else. Just a warning. Make sure your branch will take them. It's not enough that it has a pharmacy; it needs to be on board with the scheme too.
 
I have been recycling my blister packs at the Gorleston Superdrug for a couple of years but last week spotted a notice on the door saying that they were no longer accepting them as from 5th June. They suggest taking them to Superdrug in St Stephens Street Norwich (hopefully not the store referred to in an ealier post!) - 18 miles away. The alternative being to put them in the general waste. I've contacted Superdrug Customer Services who advised that all stores with a pharmacy were accepting them, giving me the website blurb about working with Terracycle. I went back to say this wasn't the case. Their reply was 'have you asked the store why' . Clearly Customer Service staff aren't aware of any change. I think it's a step backwards when we are all being asked to think about the planet.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…