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Inhaler recycling

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European Statement

Selection, Procurement and Distribution

Author(s)

Sam Coombes, Cath Cooksey

Why was it done?

Inhalers account for 3% of the total NHS (National Health Service) carbon footprint and 73 million inhalers are dispensed every year in the UK. There are legal obligations for the NHS to reduce the emissions it can influence and reach net zero by 2045, with an ambition to reach an 80% reduction by 2039. There is no national program to recycle inhalers. We wanted to establish a recycling model which is efficient and can be easily replicated.

What was done?

We established an inhaler recycling model which enables patients to drop off any inhaler at multiple healthcare settings and for these inhalers to be collected and recycled, using a pre-existing logistical model.

How was it done?

This work is part of a collaborative working project in conjunction with NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board and Chiesi Limited. Alliance Healthcare are a sub-contracted service provider in the project to support with the logistical model. We wanted to demonstrate a new model for inhaler recycling using existing infrastructure aiming to improve return rates whilst keeping costs as low as possible. In Kent and Medway, East Kent with a population of 720,000 people, was chosen as a pilot area, as this presented a mixed patient demographic, and the highest volume of acute hospitals, community pharmacies and dispensing GP practices. Inhalers are collected from recycling sites made up of acute hospital sites, community pharmacies and GP dispensing practices, at the same time as medicine supplies are delivered, using a sophisticated logistical model which already exists therefore not requiring any additional transportation. Once collected by a specialist waste management company, from the wholesaler depot, the inhaler components are then recycled and gases from MDI inhalers captured and reused in other industries.

What has been achieved?

A 12-month pilot has been initiated, the infrastructure a logistical model has been put in place and data is being collected.

What next?

The data from the collection process will continue to be collated, the carbon savings calculated, and a toolkit developed so this can be easily adopted in other regions.

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