A number of community pharmacies in south east London are taking part in what has been described as England’s first nationally funded inhaler recycling scheme. 

The NHS-funded pilot, which will run for six months, will encourage patients to return used or expired inhalers to one of 20 sites spread across the South East London Integrated Care System (SEL ICS) region.

A map published on the SEL ICS website shows the 20 community pharmacies and two hospitals taking part in the scheme. 

SEL ICS described the pilot as a “collaborative effort” undertaken with NHS England, Greener ICS and “multiple stakeholders” in the region, adding that it will help the ICS meet its 2022-25 targets for reducing the environmental impact of inhalers and “ensuring no clinical waste foes to landfill”. 

The initial project bid was submitted by Laura Stevenson, a pharmacist at King’s College Hospital. She commented: “Medicines make up 25 per cent of the NHS carbon footprint, which is a staggering statistic. 

“The climate crisis is a health crisis, and we need to take decisive action to ensure we minimise our environmental impact; returning your inhaler to your local pharmacy or hospital can play a huge part in this.  

“We can reach Net Zero by 2050 with these important actions and we need your help to do it.”

Dr Laura-Jane Smith, a consultant respiratory physician at KCH and project team member, said: “We know how worried people are about the health effects of climate change, especially as people with respiratory disease are more vulnerable to heat and air pollution.

“By taking the simple step of returning inhalers to local pharmacies and hospitals, instead of putting them in home waste, patients can ensure the NHS can recycle the inhalers and avoid them going to landfill. Working together we can create powerful solutions.”