Waste blister packs
A new prescription for materials reuseThe market leader in blister pack recycling
Prescribed daily, discarded forever:
The waste footprint of blister packs
Today, blister packs are ubiquitous, used extensively across prescription pharmaceuticals and over-the-counter medicines, as well as the health and wellness sector for vitamins and supplements.
2.5
Billion
- Globally, over 36 million tons of blister packs are produced each year.
- The UK’s National Health Service alone using approximately 150 million packs annually.
Incorporating mixed materials such as aluminium foil and plastic (polyvinyl chloride, PVC), the design of blister packs complicates recycling because the bonded layers are difficult to separate and, due to the packs’ small sizes, they are normally rejected by local authority waste collections, ending up in landfill or incineration. Most packs are discarded after a single use.
The UK Government currently has no specific plans to enhance the recycling provisions for blister packs and this waste stream falls outside the scope of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).
Furthermore, early attempts to tackle the problem by other waste management providers have relied on the cumbersome, restrictive and potentially risky mechanism of waste items being sent via post. It is very hard, if not impossible, to police a scheme that could see controlled or contaminated drugs sent through the post and potentially lost or diverted in transit. Any unused drug or medicine that does not reach the recycling partner successfully is a risk.
Our solution: Ensuring blister pack waste makes a full recovery
Convenient customer deposits and collections
MYGroup collects and transports deposited waste blister packs back to its fully licensed facility in Hull, East Yorkshire, with an in-house tracking system that evaluates collection times and routes to optimise efficiency against carbon tracking.
Circular resource recovery and new products
MYGroup sees blister pack waste differently from other providers – not comprised of hard-to-recycle materials to be disposed of, but valuable resources with untapped potential, ready to be recovered, repurposed and returned to productive use.
All waste blister packs arriving at MYGroup’s Hull facility are first logged and weighed, with origin and composition data captured through a digital platform. Each load is assigned a unique ID, enabling full traceability throughout the recovery journey.
MYGroup has installed a dedicated, specialist processing line at Hull, meaning the mixed pack materials can be mechanically separated and recovered all on the same site.
Critically, MYGroup’s waste blister pack recovery process also includes provision for accidental hazardous contamination from unused medicines, vitamins or supplements that may be inadvertently left in packs, with the company holding the appropriate environmental permits to still achieve full recovery of materials.
Scan2Recycle: Incentivising deposits through technology and rewards
MYGroup’s waste blister pack take back scheme can also incorporate the Scan2Recycle system – unique in the recycling market and delivered in partnership with technology partner Metrisk – which introduces an incentive to make deposits, seamlessly integrating with clients’ communications and promotional efforts, such as reward programmes.
Scan2Recycle integration can also include the creation of a dedicated mobile app for clients’ schemes – available on both iOS and Android devices – enhancing user engagement and further incentivising participation in recycling.
What happens to blister pack waste?
All recovered blister pack components are either returned to UK supply chains as high-quality raw materials or repurposed through MYGroup’s ReFactory™ arm (see below) into entirely new products.
Plastic (PVC)
Pre-shredded, washed and refined into a 5mm granulate, with microplastics captured and reprocessed at every stage. The material is then heated and pressed to form MYboard™, a durable, plywood-like product used as a lumber alternative in construction, joinery, shop and event fittings and commercial furniture.
Metal (Foil)
Removed through a combination of magnets, current separation and infrared detection, as well as further shredding. Recovered foil is smelted into ingots for onward supply chains at a local refinery, or repurposed for new products.
Residual medicines, vitamins & supplements
ReFactory™ – Turning waste into worth, from whatever form it takes
Working across B2B and consumer markets, ReFactory reimagines recovered materials into high-impact applications, from retail displays and point-of-sale solutions to bespoke furniture and installations. In doing so, ReFactory proves that even the most challenging waste can be given renewed value and purpose.
From compliance to circular leadership:
Partner with a trusted UK specialist for blister pack recovery with purpose
UK businesses and organisations are increasingly expected to demonstrate full material traceability, reduce emissions and retain valuable resources within the UK economy.
MYGroup enables clients not only to keep pace with this shift, but to lead it. Our circular blister pack recycling solution supports measurable progress towards Net Zero targets, underpinned by transparent data, real-time reporting and our active alignment with and contribution to leading NGO the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP).
SchoolCycled™ programme
Beyond materials recovery and regulatory compliance, MYGroup helps clients translate their efforts into wider social and community impact through its SchoolCycled™ initiative.
SchoolCycled is MYGroup’s nationwide education initiative that helps primary schools and trusts embed sustainability into the curriculum. The scheme teaches pupils about recycling, resource efficiency and the environmental impact of waste, giving young people a practical understanding of the circular economy. Opportunities to tailor resources, lessons and school- or trust-wide activities are available to MYGroup’s clients.
The scheme offers clients a unique opportunity to sponsor or part-fund this growing programme, demonstrating strong ESG and social value outcomes, while strengthening community partnerships in the areas where they operate.
Together with the creative reuse opportunities delivered through MYGroup’s ReFactory arm, this integrated approach transforms blister pack waste recovery into a far more powerful proposition, rooted in regeneration, long-term impact and responsible stewardship, defined not by what is discarded, but by the positive change this waste can create.
