Social and environmental commitments

Inhaler recycling

In October 2020, the NHS announced its ambition to become the world’s first healthcare system to commit to reaching carbon net zero; an ambition set in response to the growing threat to health posed by climate change.¹

Inhaler recycling is one area Chiesi can focus on in support of the NHS’ ambition to achieve a net zero carbon footprint. Approximately 73 million inhalers are used in the UK every year.^2,3 A very high proportion of inhalers end up in landfill, and if any residual propellant leaks out, this can remain in the atmosphere for up to 270 years.^3–5 The release of residual propellant can account for up to 25% of the life cycle of CO₂ emissions of an inhaler, and the plastic casing is generally not recycled, further adding to the carbon footprint.⁴

How can I recycle my inhaler?

All used inhalers should be returned to a pharmacy to be disposed of safely

Inhalers should not be put in waste bins. Landfill disposal is harmful to the environment both in material waste and in greenhouse gas emissions as the residual gas from canisters is released to the atmosphere

There are a number of local recycling schemes available across the UK, including:

• NHS Wales
• East Kent recycling scheme
• Milton Keynes recycling scheme
• Recycle for Greater Manchester
• Sheffield Children’s hospital

Please check with your local respiratory team to learn more about recycling schemes running in your area.

It is still acceptable to return your inhaler to your local pharmacy, even if there are no local inhaler recycling facilities. Local pharmacies will accept your inhaler and incinerate it as medical waste. Through this process, propellants are broken down by the high temperatures into more environmentally friendly by-products, making it a surprisingly good way to dispose of them.^5,6

Examples of pharmacy recycling schemes:

• Boots
• Asda
• Tesco

What actions have Chiesi taken to support inhaler recycling?

In 2021, we developed and funded the ‘Take AIR (Action for Inhaler Recycling)’ scheme to allow patients to dispose of and recycle their empty, unwanted or out-of-date inhalers via post. This was a Chiesi postal recycling scheme supported by University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust and Leicestershire and Rutland Local Pharmaceutical Committee (LPC).

Our goal was to enable patients with respiratory illnesses to play a part in reducing the negative impact of inhalers on the environment.

Inhalers which were returned as part of the scheme were sorted and separated into:

• Aluminium canisters: crushed together to form solid blocks
• Propellant gas from pMDIs (pressurised metered dose inhalers): extracted to be reused in items such as fridges and air-conditioning units
• Recyclable plastics: made into pellets and recycled
• Non-recyclable materials: converted into energy through a process called ‘energy from waste’

Chiesi has provided a comprehensive inhaler recycling toolkit to the NHS to share all our learnings, in order to support localities setting up their own recycling schemes.