Medicine Waste
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Unused medicines cost the NHS around £300 million a year. We need your help to reduce this.
Here’s what you can do to help:
Only order what you need
Check what medicines you have at home before you order your repeat prescriptions. If you have enough, only request the medicines you need. You will still be able to order medicines from your repeat prescription again in the future,
Check your prescription bag
Open your prescription bag before leaving the pharmacy to make sure that you only have what you need. Unwanted medicines returned before you leave the pharmacy, can then be used by someone else. Once they have left the pharmacy, they can’t be.
Highlight if your medicines are no longer right for you
Let your pharmacy team know if you’ve stopped taking any of your medicines or if they’re no longer right for you.
Take your medicines into hospital
Always keep a current list of your medicines with you and the NHS App will allow you to view your regular medication. If you know you’re going into hospital, take all your medicines with you, so you can continue to take them.
- Dispose of medicines safely
Dispose of your medicines safely by returning them to your pharmacy to prevent medicine waste entering landfill and polluting rivers, seas and soil.
By only ordering what you need supports us to:
Stay well
- Unused medicines expire and might not work as we want them to
- Keeping big stocks of medication at home can make drug shortages worse
Stay safe
- Big stocks of medicines at home can be a danger to children and pets
- Medicines are only prescribed for you and to be safe, should not be shared
Stay green
- Dispose of unwanted medicines correctly by giving them to your pharmacy
- By only ordering what you need, helps the environment because once medicines have left the pharmacy, they cannot be used by anyone else or recycled