South Yorkshire Medicine Waste

Only order the items you need

• Check what medicines you have at home before re-ordering.
• If you don’t need the medicine this time please don’t order it. It will not disappear from your prescription.

Return any unwanted medicine to a pharmacy for safe disposal

• Unused medicines expire and might not work as you need them to.

Check your medicine bag before you leave the pharmacy and return any unwanted medication

• If you return any unwanted medication before you leave the pharmacy, the medicine can be reused.

Tell your GP practice if you no longer want or need a medication

• Letting your GP practice know if you no longer want or need a medication saves the NHS time and money as well as helping to protect our medicinal supply lines and environment.

Did you know?

• Medicines waste costs the NHS around £300 million per year? That's enough to fund 7.6 million GP appointments.
• When flushed down toilets or put into bins, medicines waste can pollute our waterways and get into our soil, causing harmful pollution to our environment. 
• Inhalers, even after the medication has been used can leak harmful greenhouse gasses if not disposed of correctly.
• Unused or incorrectly stored medicine can be dangerous to pets and children.
• Over-ordering medicinal supplies contributes to medicines shortages.

Frequently asked questions