Most of the nation’s asthma sufferers are incorrectly disposing of their inhalers and unintentionally contributing to carbon emissions increase, a new research reveals.

While most local authorities can recycle certain plastics, some inhalers contain plastics and glasses that are not easily recyclable.

A recent research from pharmaceutical company GSK uncovered that over half of the Brits suffering from asthma surveyed were simply disposing of their inhalers in the general waste. A third were using their kerbside recycling service, wrongly thinking they will be recycled.

Progress has been made in the recycling of respiratory inhalers, with over one million being recycled over the last five years as part of a national scheme. However, as the research shows, there is still far to go when it comes to correctly disposing of them.

To ensure respiratory inhalers are recovered and recycled correctly, the pharmaceutical company launched a scheme which allows people to bring their used inhalers into a pharmacy for recovery.

By taking an inhaler to a local participating pharmacy, the plastic and aluminum parts can be used in other products, and any potentially harmful greenhouse gasses can be collected and reused elsewhere, for example in car air conditioners.

Matt Wilson, GSK’s Head of Global Environmental Sustainability, explains: “The great thing about the scheme is that anyone can walk into a participating pharmacy, hand in their inhaler and know that it will go off to be recovered, reused and recycled in a responsible way.”

A further added benefit of the scheme is that it encourages patients to visit their pharmacy, giving them the opportunity to seek advice directly from a pharmacist to better understand their condition, improve their inhaler technique and get the best benefits from their medicine.
Around 73 million inhalers are being used every year in the UK.