Every year more than 70 million inhalers are prescribed in the UK annually, and the majority are disposed of in household waste without being recycled.1
Re-Hale was a collaborative working project with NHS Kent and Medway ICB, which allowed inhalers in East Kent to be conveniently recycled.
Inhaler users were encouraged to drop off their used and unwanted inhalers, of any brand or type, to locations including pharmacies, and GP practices. From there the inhalers were taken to a central depot, where their propellants were recycled. The recycled inhaler propellants were then repurposed and used in items such as refrigeration and air conditioning systems.
40,630 inhalers were recycled as part of the project which ran from September 2023-November 2024, with a return rate of 5.6%. While this percentage may seem small at face value, it is the highest return rate of any inhaler recycling project in the UK to date.
Overall the project saved a total of 177 tonnes of carbon.2
“Both Cath Cooksey and myself are incredibly proud to have been given the opportunity to deliver on our collective vision for a more sustainable future, one that includes inhaler recycling for all our patients,” said Sam Coombes, Lead Medicines Information Technician and Sustainability Lead, East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust. “Working collaboratively with Chiesi we have been able to make our ambitions a reality showing inhaler recycling can be made easy.”
Harriet Lewis, Senior Director Public Affairs and Communications and Sam Coombes, Lead Medicines Information Technician and Sustainability Lead
Presenting the Re-Hale project at European Association of Hospital Pharmacists
References
UK-CHI-2401021 | December 2024
