Chiesi Expands Postal Inhaler Recycling Scheme Following the Success of Pilot in Leicestershire
This is a Chiesi Limited scheme supported by University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust and Leicestershire and Rutland Local Pharmaceutical Committee (LPC).
Following the successful launch of Chiesi Limited’s postal inhaler recycling pilot scheme, Leicestershire Take AIR (Action for Inhaler Recycling) in February 2021, the company is pleased to announce its expansion. Due to the increasing demand for recycling, and in response to demand from the NHS, Chiesi is expanding the scheme across Leicestershire’s hospitals (Leicester General Hospital, Glenfield Hospital and Leicester Royal Infirmary) so that patients can receive a pre-paid, pre-addressed envelope from designated parts of the hospitals. The company is also creating a toolkit, so that other areas of the UK can use the lessons learned by Chiesi and partners in the scheme to help implement similar schemes in their local areas.
Take AIR is the first and only scheme to allow people to dispose of and recycle their empty, unwanted, or out-of-date inhalers through the post, enabling patients with respiratory illnesses to play their part in helping to reduce the impact of inhalers on the environment. Across the UK, over 70 million inhaler devices are used each year and almost all of these will be disposed of in municipal waste sites and landfill.[i],[ii] Inhalers comprise several components, including plastic casings, aluminium canisters, and propellant gases which are known greenhouse gases. Through the Take AIR scheme, many of the components are recovered and recycled and non-recyclable materials are destroyed through a process called energy-from-waste.[iii] Diverting the inhalers from municipal waste sites will help to prevent the leakage of the greenhouse gas propellant into the atmosphere.
The pilot has already seen impressive uptake with almost two-thirds (63%) of all pharmacies across the Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland (LLR) area participating and supplying envelopes to patients.[iv] Thirty patients who have currently used the scheme and responded to a feedback survey say that they are happy with the scheme and that they believe Take AIR should also be available across the UK.[v]
The scheme is now just over halfway through the pilot period and to date there have been nearly 7,000 envelopes issued to pharmacies, and nearly 2,000 envelopes returned to the specialist recycling centre via Royal Mail.4 This has resulted in nearly 7,000 inhalers being successfully diverted from municipal waste and recycled so far.4
Chiesi is now expanding Take AIR so that hospitals within the University Hospitals of Leicester (UHL) NHS Foundation Trust can take part. Patients discharged from the designated wards in the hospitals who are prescribed an inhaler will be provided with a pre-paid, pre-addressed envelope to recycle their inhalers and encouraged to obtain further supplies of envelopes from a participating community pharmacy in the LLR area. The envelopes can be used for any inhaler, of any brand and any type.
Tom Delahoyde, Managing Director of Chiesi in the UK and Ireland, commented, “Many people are concerned about the environmental impact of inhalers, but don’t know how to sustainably dispose of them. As a certified B Corp®, we believe everyone can make a difference to protecting our environment and we all need to play our part. We wanted to develop an easy and effective way for inhalers to be recycled, and we owe our thanks to so many pharmacies and patients doing their bit for the environment and helping to make Take AIR such a success. Going forward, we’re confident this success will continue in collaboration with partners and stakeholders. Not only are we poised for the rollout of the scheme to the Leicester hospitals; we hope other areas of the UK will take forward inhaler recycling in the near future too. Chiesi is committed to promoting sustainability and to striving for the highest social, legal and environmental standards.”
Dr Anna Murphy, Consultant Respiratory Pharmacist, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, said, “Supporting the pilot postal inhaler recycling scheme alongside the Local Pharmaceutical Committee (LPC) for Leicestershire and Rutland has been a privilege, and we are so pleased to be including the Leicester hospitals too. It’s vital we continue to spread the word about inhaler recycling and inspire healthcare professionals and patients alike to do their bit for the planet to help make respiratory healthcare more sustainable.”
This is a Chiesi Limited scheme supported by University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust and Leicestershire and Rutland Local Pharmaceutical Committee (LPC). Patients can take part in the scheme by simply asking their participating community or hospital pharmacist for a pre-paid, pre-addressed postage envelope, inserting up to four inhalers of any brand and any type, and posting the sealed envelope into a Royal Mail post box. Inhalers can also still be returned to any community pharmacy for safe disposal. More information about the scheme can be found at: www.chiesi.uk.com/environmental-responsibility.
[i] RecycleNow. What to do with inhalers. Available at: https://www.recyclenow.com/what-to-do-with/inhalers-0.
[ii] House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee. UK Progress on Reducing F-gas Emissions. Published April 2018. Available at: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmenvaud/469/469.pdf.
[iii] Department for Environment and Food affairs. Energy from Waste: a guide to the debate. Published February 2014. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/284612/pb14130-energy-waste-201402.pdf.
[iv] Chiesi UK. Take AIR Evaluation Report. Published September 2021.
[v] Chiesi UK. Take AIR Patient Feedback Questionnaire. Published September 2021 [data on file].