People with respiratory illnesses can now recycle their inhalers thanks to a new initiative launched by The Co-operative Pharmacy and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). The scheme – a first in Europe – is part of an initial six-month trial in partnership with eco-friendly manufacturer, TerraCycle UK.  Approximately 35 million GSK respiratory inhalers, including 25 million Ventolin packs are used in the UK each year1 generating some 450 tonnes of waste which potentially end up in landfill or incineration

She found out the offer came from TerraCycle's Drink Pouch Brigade, a free fundraising program for schools and nonprofit groups that pays 2 cents for every Capri Sun pouch collected. So far, TerraCycle has collected 50 million drink pouches through its program, and paid out $1 million. "Our goal is for people to look at waste in a whole new way," said TerraCycle CEO Tom Szaky. "The $1 million that Capri Sun has helped us give out is a powerful sign of the enthusiasm that communities across the country have for the goals of this program."

  In addition to new mums, poinsettias and hard goods products, the event – dubbed Plants On Parade – gave Clearwater the opportunity to talk about a few of its unique initiatives, including an interactive sustainability initiative that involves kids collecting reusable plastic food tubs in which plants are grown. “We’ve grown our mums in these I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter tubs,” Medeiros says. “Kids will collect them after the flowers have played their role, and they’ll return them to their school or an area that’s been designated by the store for two cents each. “TerraCycle has agreed with us on an exclusive agreement and for any store that participates, we will implement a marketing/PR program that enables us to go into a geographic area around the grocery store and direct market to that elementary school.”

TerraCycle is a company that converts ordinary trash into consumer goods.  They work with schools and non-profits to obtain the materials they use.  TerraCycle provides the groups with collection kits and pays them for the waste material they send in. TerraCycle upcycles things like chips bags, drink pouches, and candy wrappers into backpacks, clipboards, buckets, and cleaning solutions.  Now TerraCycle  has introduced the Frito-Lay speakers.  These speakers are portable, foldable, and work with any computer or mp3 player that has a 3.5 mm headphone jack.  The speakers are about $20

ASTHMATICS in Southampton will be among the first in Europe to divert millions of inhalers from the rubbish tip. The Co-operative Pharmacy in Thornhill is one of a handful of chemists to take part in a pilot scheme encouraging people to recycle their inhalers. The six-month trial is the first of its kind in Europe and aims to reduce the number of respiratory devices that generate around 450 tonnes of waste a year in the UK. Those suffering from respiratory illnesses will be able to just drop off their devices in a specially designed recycling box at the pharmacy, which will be collected every month to ensure every element of the inhaler is recycled. The initiative was launched today by The Co-operative and GlaxoSmith Kline (GSK), which sees 35m of their inhalers end up in landfill every year. Fiona Caplan-Dean, from The Co-operative Pharmacy, said: “There are more than five million people in the UK currently receiving treatment for asthma and other respiratory illnesses who rely on the use of inhalers so the potential for recycling these products and reducing wastage is huge. “Pharmacists are ideally placed to help reduce the impact of inhalers on the environment and as an organisation committed to responsible retailing as part of our ethical strategy we are delighted to be at the forefront of this initiative, which is simple, yet effective.”

Southern Daily Echo (Southampton) 1 February 2011

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The scheme, by Cooperative Pharmacy and GlaxoSmithKline, is the first of its kind in Europe and is part of a six-month trial with manufacturer TerraCycle UK. About 35 million GSK respiratory inhalers, including 25 million Ventolin packs, are used in the UK each year, generating 450 tonnes of waste. Twenty branches of the pharmacy in and around Cardiff will be involved.