An innovative inhaler recycling scheme that was trialled in a Roehampton is to be extended across the country.
The Complete the Cycle scheme, which allows sufferers of respiratory disease to hand in old inhalers for recycling, was trialled in 40 pharmacies around the UK, including the Co-Operative Pharmacy on Roehampton’s Danebury Avenue.
The scheme, backed by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Terracycle UK, will now be rolled out to Co-Operative pharmacies across England and Wales.
During the initial trial period, 6000 respiratory inhalers were recycled preventing the release of inhaler propellant, a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere.
The amount of pollutant that the scheme prevented from entering the atmosphere is equivalent to the amount of CO2 that would be released by driving a car six times around the world.
It is hoped that with the scheme’s expansion nearly 70,000 inhalers will be recycled within a year.
Peter McCarthy, Co-operative Pharmacy Regional Manager said: “I’m delighted to be able to offer this simple yet effective service to my customers in the Roehampton area, and believe together we can make an important difference to our environment. As a responsible and ethical business, it is important to take a lead in sustainable initiatives like these.”
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