How we recycled over 20,000 inhalers so far in East Kent 

NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board explains how an inhaler recycling scheme was set up as a collaborative working project with biopharmaceutical company Chiesi.
Illustration of a recycling symbol with an inhaler in the middle, and the three stages in the process looped into each of the arrows of the symbol

Wes Mountain/The Pharmaceutical Journal

Approximately 73 million inhalers are prescribed in the UK annually, which currently constitutes around 3% of total NHS UK emissions. The majority of inhalers — many of which contain chemical propellants that are known greenhouse gases, plastic and aluminium — are disposed of through the municipal waste collection process. Disposal through municipal waste streams can lead to the devices being transferred to landfill sites, the propellant leaking into the atmosphere and the other materials being unrecoverable.

Register for free to keep on reading

Access two premium articles as a registered user.

Register

Already an RPS member or registered? Log in

Last updated