TerraCycle spearheads UK-first blister pack recycling with Little Packs Big Impact initiative
07 Jan 2021 --- TerraCycle is partnering with pharmaceutical companies to launch a blister pack recycling program in what it claims is a UK first.
The “Little Packs Big Impact” initiative is designed to make the preformed plastic packaging used to carry solid drugs more conveniently recyclable at the consumer level.
The program addresses rising consumer concern over plastic waste in the UK, says waste management specialist TerraCycle.
With growing public awareness of the threat single-use plastics poses to the environment, coupled with the widespread use of blister packs, TerraCycle says it has long received calls to add blister packs to its roster of recycling options.
A specially formed partnership with Sanofi, a French pharmaceutical company and maker of products such as Buscopan and Dulcolax, will now provide drop off points for consumers at independent pharmacies across the UK.
Superdrug pharmacy chain will also be participating, with the initiative aiming to reach at least 400 stores within the first year.
A recycling first
Laure Cucuron, general manager for TerraCycle Europe, explains the difficulty in recycling blister pack materials.
“Blister packs are made of a complex mix of difficult-to-recycle materials required to protect medicines, including plastic and aluminum foil, which are not accepted by most council recycling systems so end up in household waste.”
The “Little Packs Big Impact” initiative is aiming to install blister pack drop offs in 400 UK pharmacies this year.
“Now pharmacies and their customers can both play their part to help the environment with a small change by recycling empty blister packs through the Little Packs Big Impact scheme for the first time.”
Silvina Vilas, UK marketing director at Sanofi Consumer Healthcare, also commented on the significance of implementing recycling schemes for the pharmaceutical market, calling the initiative “a move forward for the healthcare industry.”
“Many people rely on medicines to manage self-treatable and long-term conditions, yet until now, there hasn’t been a solution for the growing problem of medicine packaging waste.”
COVID-19 adds to healthcare’s waste heap
Given the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the burden it has placed on healthcare systems, tackling medical waste may be more pertinent than ever before.
“The UK’s network of pharmacies has been keeping the nation on its feet during these challenging times. Working together with pharmacy teams and the public, our ambition is to help reduce plastic waste from landfill by letting little packs live again as reusable products, from waste bins to outdoor furniture, resulting in a big positive impact on the environment,” explains Vilas.
How healthcare impacts plastic
To mark the launch of the campaign, Buscopan and Dulcolax conducted a survey of 2,000 British adults on their use and perceptions of medicine packaging.
They found that 65 percent used blister packs every week. Of these, 85 percent were for headaches and migraines, 50 percent for hay fever and 43 percent for digestive health conditions.
These disorders, say the researchers, are therefore the health conditions making the most extensive contributions to plastic waste in the UK.
The research, conducted before COVID-19 measures were introduced, also found that almost two thirds (64 percent) of respondents say they have become more conscious about the importance of recycling over the past year.
As a result, 83 percent now take their own bags to the supermarket, nearly half (47 percent) look to buy brands with recycled or recyclable packaging, while 60 percent make efforts to reduce their plastic use in general.
The initiative is calling on all independent pharmacies in the UK to register with the program through TerraCycle’s website.
Edited
By Louis Gore-Langton
