Group items tagged

To reduce greenhouse gas emissions from improperly disposed inhalers, patients are being encouraged to return their used or expired inhalers to designated community pharmacies. A community pharmacy initiative in NHS Lothian has resulted in an impressive 300 per cent surge in the number of inhalers returned to community pharmacies for sustainable disposal. The initiative involved placing stickers on dispensing bags, encouraging patients to bring back their used inhalers to the pharmacy. Between February and May 2024, five community pharmacies in and around Edinburgh participated in this sustainability project and provided data. The data showed a significant increase in inhaler returns, with 20 inhalers being returned in the two weeks before the stickers were introduced, compared to 80 in the two weeks after the project concluded-a 300 per cent increase over the 10-week period.