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Environmentally Friendly Medication Practices

Some inhalers use propellants that are powerful greenhouse gases. These gases can harm the environment, even after the inhaler is empty. However, they are safe for you when using the inhaler.

Inhalers

Please don’t throw used inhalers in your household waste or recycling bins. This can release leftover gases and plastics into the environment. Instead, return your used inhalers to a pharmacy. Pharmacies will safely dispose of them by incineration, which prevents these gases from entering the atmosphere and keeps plastics out of landfill.

Find out how to check if your inhaler is empty to know when to order a new one. See this inhaler poster for more information about your inhalers and their environmental impact. Please don’t change how you use your inhaler without talking to a healthcare professional.

Novo Nordisk Pens

Each year, 23 million medical pens are incinerated or sent to landfill in the UK. To reduce this waste, Novo Nordisk has started a recycling scheme called PenCycle for their drug delivery pens.

You can drop off Novo Nordisk pens at Boots in Wantage (50-51 Market Place, Wantage, OX12 8AW). Please remove the needle before returning your pen, as it cannot be recycled with the needle attached. Find out more about PenCycle here.

Unused Medications

Return any unused medications, including hormone patches and empty gel packets, to a pharmacy for safe disposal. This helps prevent contamination of land and water.

Please avoid stockpiling medication. Review what’s on your repeat prescription and only order what you need. If you’ve stopped taking a medication, tell your GP and don’t order more to help reduce waste.