A partnership between waste management firm MYGroup and primary care provider Nimbuscare has seen over 75,000 empty tablet blister packs collected and recycled from 22 GP practices and pharmacies across the York area.
The recycling scheme, which launched in February, is the first of its kind and will see the collected blister packs fully recycled by MYGroup, with the waste being remanufactured into new material and products. The scheme is being spearheaded by Dr Rumina Önaç, GP at York’s Old School Medical Practice and Sustainability Lead for Nimbuscare.
Blister packs are not recyclable via local authority curbside collections, meaning the ubiquitous pill packaging usually ends up in landfill or incineration, and existing recycling schemes for blister packs do not offer a closed-loop solution for the waste material.
Yorkshire-based MYGroup is processing the collected blister packs through its state-of-the-art facility in Hull, East Yorkshire, where the waste material is separated and remanufactured back into supply chains and new material. This includes the company’s MYboard™, similar in consistency to plywood and used widely for construction, joinery, shop and event fittings, as well as to manufacture furniture for use in commercial and community settings, such as benches and desks for schools.
Dr Layla Hendow and Dr Rumina Önaç with a MYGroup blister pack recycling box
Blister packs are a huge contributor to the NHS’ carbon footprint and Dr Önaç, a sustainable healthcare champion, identified the tablet packaging as an unmet recycling need in the York area following regular feedback from her patients. Working with Nimbuscare, Dr Önaç secured funding for the scheme from a green award programme led by Yorkshire and Humber Academic Health Science Network.
MYGroup is supplying branded 110-litre recycling boxes to the 22 GP practice and pharmacy locations before arranging collection of the deposited blister packs and end-to-end processing of the waste material.
Over 20 full recycling boxes have been collected so far, equating to around 170kg, or over 75,000 blister packs. Each full box carries an approximate carbon saving of 30kg, meaning over half a ton has been saved so far – the equivalent of driving nearly 800 miles in a car.
Feedback from patients on the scheme has been overwhelmingly positive, with many pointing to the convenience of having boxes in the local area, reducing barriers that may have existed before.
It’s been wonderful to see the scheme gain momentum since launching in February. There’s been real engagement from the patient community and the huge number of packs processed so far is testament to this. Knowing that each one deposited will live again as completely new material makes the whole scheme all the more rewarding.
Dr Rumina Önaç, GP at York’s Old School Medical Practice and Sustainability Lead for Nimbuscare
We’re honoured to partner with Nimbuscare on this initiative to help the NHS meet its ambitious carbon targets and are lucky to be working with such an enthusiastic and committed advocate as Dr Önaç. MYGroup offers the only circular solution on the market for recycling blister packs and we’re only just getting started in this critical waste space.
Steve Carrie, Director, MYGroup
